


Without Words

by orphan_account



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Actors, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hollywood, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Major Illness, Secret Relationship, Single Parents, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tropes, Writers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-07-18 16:16:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16122191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jughead Jones created a cult TV shows that has helped define the decade. Betty Cooper was just cast on it. Archie Andrews is the star of the show, and her official “love interest”.A story about single parenting, best friends, choosing family, falling in love, and surviving loss.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU. Betty, Jughead, and Archie did not grow up together. Jughead is a couple years older than Betty in this version of the universe. Everything else should be self-explanatory.

 

**Five Years Ago**

 

_The A.V. Club: Evening’s Co-Creators, on How it Began, How it will End and What is Next_

For two seasons _Evening_ co-creators Emma McRae and Jughead Jones have been telling the story of a community coming together post apocalypse.

 

 _Evening_ was unexpectedly canceled this spring due to network “re-structuring”. There was momentary hope that the show, a cult classic, would find a new home on a new network. There were offers, but all of them, Jones insisted “Weren’t right. Everyone wanted us to change the fundamental structure of the story.”

 

We met with McRae and Jones right after it became clear that inspite of the surprise Emmy nomination for Best Drama, there would be no more _Evening_. We wanted to find out what was next.

 

**The A.V. Club: You knew each other for a while before creating _Evening_ together. Do you mind talking a little more about that?**

 

 **Jones:** Sure. Growing up Emma was the girl next door. Except we didn’t live in houses with white picket fences. We lived in trailers.

 

 **McRae:** Jughead moved in when he was five. There weren’t any other kids at the trailer park. We both had, to put it politely, unreliable parents. His mother left when he was eight. I only ever had my mother. We became, and I’m sorry this is cliché, but it is entirely true, each others family.

 

 **Jones:** We still are.

 

 **McRae:** But J has a daughter and a partner now. He’s making his own family as an adult too. I haven’t taken that step yet.

 

**The A.V. Club: So how did you make it in Hollywood with that background?**

**Jones:** Em had excellent grades, she got a full ride to UCLA. She convinced me to cross the country and share a shitty apartment with her, and take every weird intern opportunity I could get, and somehow that landed us here, at 27.

 

 **McRae:** That sounds about right. We also got lucky. We both had a script on The Black List in the same year. I think we can’t underestimate how much that helped us.

 

 **Jones:** Growing up I just wanted to write novels, but Em got me hooked on script writing in highschool when she signed us both up for this script writing seminar and somehow convinced our school to fund it. Em was very good at getting arts funding out of that school.

 

 **McRae:**  In my defense I have now donated a lot of funds earmarked for the arts to our Alma mater.

 

**The A.V. Club: Can you both tell me what the other’s greatest strengths are?**

**Jones:** Emma’s loyal, hard-working, smart, funny, and really messy and disorganized. Her apartment scares me.

 

 **McRae:** You are not supposed to include my weakness.

**Jones:** It’s just hard to convey how great you are in words. You’ve been my first phone call since I was six.

 

 **McRae:** You phoned me when you were six?

 

 **Jones:** At six I just yelled at you through the window, that is what I meant by call. Em is the nicest, most patient person you’ve ever met. Em’s the reason I made it. I always said I wanted to write something worthwhile, but she’s the one who actually made that happen.

 

 **McRae:** J is a great writer. He’s so good at dialogue and lines. He’s exceptionally smart and detail orientated. He is a great dad to his daughter Clair.  J is also pretty protective of anyone he loves. He was suspended twice in high school for defending me.

 

**The A.V. Club: How does it feel now that _Evening_ is over?**

**Jones:** Hard. We didn’t get to end it properly. We went out on a cliffhanger.

**McRae:** But there are good things too, we just signed a three-show development contract with ABC. So we know we are going to be able to create new things in the future **.**

**Jones:** You can tell which one of us is the optimist.

**The A.V. Club: What did you learn from making _Evening_?**

**McRae:** That we should avoid having too large a cast in the future.

**Jones:** That we should never ever sign over creative control to someone else.

**McRae:** That we must always drink coffee in the morning. 

**Jones:** We are never signing a contract with Showtime again.

**The A.V. Club: So what show are you developing now?**

**Jones:** The working title is _Swift River_. It is set in a future version of America that is undergoing a second civil war. It focuses on a group of friends in their early twenties that live in one of the border towns and they are trying to fight for the future of America.

**McRae:** And navigate complicated love lives. We should start shooting next fall.

 

 **The A.V. Club** : and how big is the cast going to be?

 

 **Jones:** Tiny.

 

 **McRae** : No more than four main characters.

 

 

**Three Years Ago**

 

She stood in the moonlight. Jughead could see her silhouette, pulling on clothes, grabbing a duffel bag that was hidden under the bed.

 

It wasn’t the creaking floorboards of the house that woke him, or the curse she uttered under her breath when she pulled her jeans on backwards, it was the absence of her steady breathing beside him. He was always a light sleeper.

 

He wondered if he should say something. Should he beg her to stay? If not for him than for Clair with her glorious crown of curls. But if he said something now and she left anyways that would make everything infinitely worse.

 

If Darwin had looked at the bed she would have seen that his eyes were open, but she leaves the room without a backward glance. He hears her walk down the stairs, then the front door squeaks.

 

He stands up and goes to the window. She crosses the street quickly, moving towards a shiny SUV and the man inside it. She throws the duffel in the back and gets in.

 

Jughead gets back into bed. He forces himself to fall back to sleep on the blue cotton sheets.

 

In the morning Clair doesn’t ask about her mother’s absence as he gets her ready for preschool. She catches on at dinner when he let her have a second cookie, without warning her not to tell her mother.

 

Jughead tells Clair the only thing that he can, that her mommy loves her very much, but that daddy is going to raise her. Clair sees right through him, she always has. But she takes this in stride. She’s always been closer to Jughead, and he thinks that must help. It has to.

 

Jughead tucks her in bed next to her favorite stuffy - a purple rabbit named Louie.  He turns on the star projector and sings her three songs, ending with Twinkle Twinkle.

 

As he stands in the doorway Clair quietly asks “Dada, will you leave?” and the question breaks his heart.

 

“Never ever.” She doesn’t say anything in response, but her breathing slows and Jughead realizes that she has fallen asleep.

 

He had spent all day separating his accounts from Darwin’s. He wanted to make sure that when her money ran out, she couldn’t take him for more. But he still hadn’t told anyone what had happened. Only now was it starting to feel real.

 

He still remembers meeting Darwin on the first day of set for _Evening_. He hadn’t been in on the supporting casting decisions back then, so he hadn’t met her during auditions.

 

Instead he met Darwin for the first time when she was flailing in-front of a green screen, pretending to skydive. She had been so outspoken since day one. She had made it clear right then and there, that she had liked him.

 

Darwin was bossy to the point of being rude. She always treated the PA’s like shit (never a good sign). But she had the same sense of humor as Jughead, dark and sarcastic. She also didn’t press him like other girlfriend’s had to open up. She was never jealous of his relationship with Emma.

 

There were warning signs from the very beginning. Honestly if she hadn’t gotten pregnant, they wouldn’t have lasted a year. But she had gotten pregnant with Clair, and Jughead, in spite of his own terrible personal experience with parents who tried to stay together for children, had thought that they could make it work.

 

When _Evening_ was canceled and Darwin struggled to get a new job, things started to go downhill. When his new show _Swift River_ got great ratings everything fell over a cliff (every argument came back to the fact that Darwin wasn’t cast in _Swift River_ , or anything else for that matter).

 

This isn’t his first time being left by someone he loves. When his mother left him at eight it was devastating. He can only hope that Darwin did Clair a favor by leaving before she was even three, when her memory is still fuzzy and malleable.

 

Jughead sits down on the back porch, the baby monitor perched on the railing next to him. Then he dials Emma’s number.

 

She picks up on the second ring. “We missed you at work.”

 

“I’m sorry. I was busy today.”

 

“Oh?” He can tell by the tone in Emma’s voice that she already knows something is up. She was the first person he called when his mom left him all those years ago. The only person he called actually.

 

“Darwin left.”

 

“Shit.” He can hear Emma exhale deeply on the other end of the line. “Never date an actor.”

 

“Your telling me this now?” Jughead said, smiling in spite of himself.

 

“You told me that five years ago.”

 

“I never take my own advice.”

 

He hears Emma laugh on the other end of the line. “How is Clair holding up?” she asks.

 

“Ok. She seems about as surprised as I was, so not very.”

 

 “Should I come over?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I will be there in ten minutes.”

 

 

**Now**

 

Betty was nervous. She can’t stop herself from biting her bottom lip. She reaches into her purse and takes out the green stress ball she keeps there for situations just like this one. She hated that she was about to look every inch the neurotic actress.

 

She squeezed it in her left hand and then her right and tried to focus, on something, anything, else. The room she was in reminded her a little of the waiting room for a doctor’s office, with there was a receptionist behind a desk.

 

There are three other women in the room. All of them are about her age, her height, her build, even her complexion. They are all here to audition for the same role.

 

Betty’s made it through the first round of auditions, all of these women have. One of them Betty recognizes from other auditions, and another Betty recognizes from a TV show she used to watch.

 

She has auditioned for dozens of roles before, but she’s never made it to the second cut before. This feels different. It is different because the show she is auditioning for is one of her favorites. She’s spent the last three years watching it.

 

 _Swift River_ is the cult hit of the decade, the show that seemed to influence everything else around it. Betty was auditioning for a new role, one where she would be a full cast member. The character she was playing had been alluded to for years - Helen. A childhood friend of two of the main characters who had moved away years ago, and was now for mysterious reasons was back in town.

 

“Betty Cooper” She stands up straight, and she sees the women standing in the doorway. Betty walks over to her, and the women ushers her into a room without any windows. Archie Andrews, the lead actor on the show, he plays Craig, is sitting next to a table. No one else is in the room. There are more chairs though.

 

Archie introduces himself. It’s funny but he looks different than she imagined in real life. Taller and more child-like somehow. In the tabloid’s he has a new girlfriend every month, but in person he seems more innocent than that.

 

“I’m going to read through the lines with you, one Emma and Jughead get here”.  Betty nods. Her stress ball is back in her purse, but she desperately wants to press down on it now. Her fingers itch to push against something. Archie must know that she’s nervous because he says “Don’t worry. Emma is as nice as they come.”

 

“And Jughead?”

 

“He’s nice, but he hides it under a grumpy exterior.”

 

“Good to know.” Betty says, managing a small smile.

 

With that Jughead and Emma entered the room and introduced themselves. Betty tried to stop her body from shaking. This is her generations version of Joss Whedon and she is in the room with them. She is about to audition for them. There is no casting director in the room. This is one of their quirks. They vet all final auditions themselves.

 

Jughead looks different than he does in pictures, more angular and tall. He’s attractive. She knew that before, but it is different now that she is in the same room with him. Emma is short, under five feet with a mess of curly brown hair.

 

“Deep breath.” Archie whispers to her, and then they do the audition. Betty is glad she had a minute with Archie before it started because she already feels comfortable with him. She feels like the read through goes a lot better because of that. They have a rapport. He’s easy-going and that makes all the difference.

 

They run through the lines three different times. Betty tries not to look at anyone but Archie. After they run through the lines a fourth time, Jughead says “Archie, you can go now.”

 

Archie starts to head out of the room then turns back and says “We are still on for lunch, right?”

 

“Yes.” Emma says.

 

“When are we not?” Jughead says with a sigh. The door closes behind Archie and then Jughead and Emma turn back to face Betty. They look every inch the couple the fandom speculates they are (on record they have vehemently denied this for seven years now). There chairs are pushed close together and Jughead’s arm is casually slung over the back of Emma’s chair.

 

“That was an excellent audition.” Emma says.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“And this would be your first major role?” Jughead asked, even though he had her resume write in front of him. She could see it.

 

“Yes. I’ve done a lot of theater and one commercial, but if I was chosen this would be my first real production.”

 

Emma and Jughead looked at each other and exchanged this sort of wordless conversation, for a minute. Then Emma smiles and turns to Betty. “It was great to meet you. See you soon!”

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

Jughead was in Emma’s office, eating chips and trying to re-write a scene involving Craig and Helen’s first kiss. Or at least that was what he was supposed to be doing, instead he was talking to Emma. This is why she had insisted that they have separate offices, because they were both terrible at getting most work done with the other present.

 

Still Jughead always found himself in Emma’s office by 2 in the afternoon and if she didn’t protest too much, he would be there till the end of the day. He was lounging on the leather sofa and she was at the desk.

 

Her laptop was open but the screen had turned off.

 

“Do you even remember what it is like to date?” Jughead asks Emma.

 

“I don’t remember the dating itself much, but the ending of all of my relationships were such a disaster, that I can’t forget them.”

 

“They were such a disaster I can’t even forget them. They may have turned me off relationships.” Jughead teases, although he can’t help but think of how bad those relationships were.

 

Emma had only had two serious boyfriends. One turned out to be a serial cheater, the other a verbal abuser, who turned physical. That relationship ended in a broken nose, and two teeth. He loved Emma, more than anyone but Clair, but if her past choices were any indicator she had terrible taste in men. No wonder she hadn’t tried again after she left the last one, almost seven years ago now.

 

Darwin may have been an unsupportive partner, and a much worse parent (even after all these years she had not gotten back in touch with Clair), but he never had any reason to worry about physical safety with her.

 

“My point is that you should date again – not me. You.” Emma says.

 

“Why? Give me one good reason.”

 

“So you can have more sources of joy in your life.”

 

“I have Clair, I have you. Hell, I have Archie if I’m desperate.”

 

“Kisses, sex?”

 

“Enough! Enough! I have that occasionally.”  When he really craved sex, which was rare, he could find it. It was never hard. But he didn’t want Emma to think about that part of him, because he didn’t think about that part of her particularly (he knew she was gone some nights from their house without any explanation – as long as her heart wasn’t being destroyed by some abusive asshole, he supported that).

 

“What about a mother for Clair?”

 

“She has you.” Jughead had told Emma this time and time again. Clair even had a special name for Emma (Umma). Clair loved Emma just as much as she loved Jughead. Why wouldn’t she? Emma had been there for every life event so far, big and small. Emma was the one who had been in charge of potty training, and first day of school pictures, as well as meals most nights. Even before Darwin left, it was Emma who baked Clair’s birthday cakes.

 

Emma doesn’t say anything in response, but she looks away from Jughead. He can’t see her face because she is bent over the desk drawers looking for something.

 

“Can’t I want you to find someone to spend your life with?”

 

“I have someone to spend my life with.” Jughead replies. Emma knew this. Everyone who had worked with them for more than a day knew this.

 

“Someone you see romantically. Someone who sees you romantically.” Emma says, sitting back up, her face a little flushed.

 

“Maybe someday I will find that person.” Jughead replies. “I just don’t see the need to rush.” Emma laughed. “Besides when would I have time to date?” Jughead asks.

 

“You could be dating right now.” Emma points out. “It’s not like you’re working.”

 

“Touché.” Jughead says with a grin. Archie enters the office.

 

Archie was the first actor they had cast in _Swift River_. He’s played the main character Craig for four years now, and somehow in spite of his dude-bro demeanor, he has become friends with both Jughead and Emma – good friends.

 

Jughead still wants to throw him off a dock sometimes (and he has in fact done this, but only once), but for the most part Archie’s heart is in the right place.

 

“Finally, someone who has no problem dating all the time can weigh in on our conversation!” Jughead jokes. It’s true though. He can’t name all of the women Archie was dating just during the first year of the show but he’s sure he met at least ten of them.

 

“What?!?” Archie looked even more confused than his default setting.

 

“Nothing, I was just trying to get Jughead to consider dating again.” Emma says with a resigned shrug.

 

“Pot, Kettle.” Jughead said. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Oh. Kevin’s shooting a scene and he wanted Jug’s opinion on it.”

 

“Couldn’t he have sent a PA or someone else?” Jughead said. Kevin’s a good director, they’ve worked with him a lot, but Jughead’s always secretly thought he’s inefficient.

 

“I was done shooting anyways.”

 

“Ok. Emma do you want to come?”

 

Emma shook her head “Too tired.” Jughead had been hearing that a lot lately.

 

Jughead got up, stashed his remaining chips in his drawer of Emma’s desk and left. Archie was already stretched out on the sofa where Jughead had been.

 

Jughead walked out onto the set. Betty was sitting in front of the cameras with Veronica.  They were in the set that was supposed to represent Veronica’s character’s living room.

 

Betty was sitting up straight in a leather chair. She was wearing torn jeans, and a pale blue t-shirt, appropriate attire given what her character has just been through. Still she looked beautiful. Her green eyes glow, and her hair shines. If she had just escaped the enemy you would expect her to look a bit more exhausted at least. Still this was TV after all. A certain amount of polish was required.

 

“I need you both to look more tense. You’ve just been re-united after a long time. Veronica’s character doesn’t trust Betty’s character anymore – you have to convey that.” Kevin says.

 

“But Betty’s so nice. I would forgive her for anything.” Veronica says with a wink.

 

“But she’s not Betty – she’s Helen and she broke your trust.” Kevin stresses.

 

“Fine, fine.” Veronica says, a harder look settling on her face. Betty’s posture tenses and Jughead knows she is getting into character. He can tell by the way her body grows stiff and the light in her eyes dim. She’s good at this.

 

Veronica takes longer to shift into her character, but then Kevin shoots the scene again, and again, and again. Jughead is impressed by Betty, he forgets that she is not the character when Kevin is shooting. He is surprised every time Kevin yells cut.

 

Finally he remembers why he is here. “Kevin, Archie said you needed me for something.”

 

Kevin looks at Jughead, as if he is a little confused. “I did. I just can’t remember what it was anymore.”

 

“Ok.” Jughead said.

 

“Girls, that is a wrap.” Kevin says to Betty and Veronica.

 

Veronica gets up from the sofa she has been sitting in the whole time and walks right over to Jughead. “Anything I should bring tomorrow?”

 

“A bottle of wine would work” Jughead responds.

 

“Of course!” Veronica says with a smile and then she turns to Betty. “Your coming, right?”

 

“To what?” Betty asks, looking nervously down at her feet for a moment.

 

“To the party at Jughead and Emma’s house.” Veronica said, with a tone of voice that implied there was only one party worth attending.

 

“You should have received an email about it?” Jughead said “We throw one after the first week of shooting and right before the last week of shooting every year. They are a tradition. Everyone comes – cast, crew, writers. We would love to have you.”

 

He's attracted to Betty, he suspects Emma has picked up on this attraction. He assumes it is the reason she's suddenly putting pressure on him to date. He gets that. From the little time he's spent with Betty he's really liked her. But dating an actor is tricky, for lots of reasons. Reasons he learned first hand with Darwin.  

 

“I did get the email. I’m just really not a party person.” Betty said. Jughead notices that she is biting her lower lip, nervously. 

 

“Jughead isn’t either. But it’s fun. It’s sort of like a weird social experiment, something goes wrong every time, but everyone is closer afterwards.” Veronica says with a smile.

 

“Also Veronica always gets really, really, high, and so that is always fun. Or rather funny.” Kevin adds. “I can drive you if you want.”

 

“So I have to come?” Betty asks.

 

“You are in no way contractually obligated to come.” Jughead said. There was no point in forcing her into it through peer pressure. Although this would be a chance for him to get to know her better. He really wanted to have that opportunity.

 

Although if the party didn’t happen at his house, he probably wouldn’t be at every one. But it was an important bonding time, that was the reason Emma threw the first one, and it was why they still hosted one twice a year.

 

“As my new BFF you must be there.” Veronica says.

 

“Fine.” Betty says with a smile that takes a little of the edge off her words. “I will come.”

 

******* 

 

The party is in full swing when Betty parks her car in front of a pale blue Victorian on a tree lined street in a quiet neighborhood.  

 

This isn’t where she expected Jughead to live at all. She was expecting a gated community or a pristine new house, much larger than the two story Victorian that is in front of her. The area is nice, but she knows for a fact (having been there just last night) that Veronica’s house is much more expensive.

 

The only reason that Jughead’s house stands out at all on the street is the fact that the house is on a triple lot, all fenced in. Betty can see trees and bushes peeking out, but barely.

 

Betty brought cookies. Her mother drilled into her the importance of always bringing something. She made the cookies, because in Alice Cooper’s world there is nothing ruder than bringing something you didn’t personally make.

 

Betty climbs the front steps to knock but finds the door already ajar. She opens it further and reveals a house full of laughing people, some of whom she recognizes and others she doesn’t.

 

The ground floor of the house has been renovated into more or less an open floor plan and there is a huge living room that becomes a dining room and then a kitchen. The stairs which sweep upstairs are crowded with people. She spots Kevin halfway up them and he waves at her. She sees that he’s talking to an up and coming actor (someone not on _Swift River_ )

 

A record is playing, and Betty realizes that a song by the National, the lines “I owe money, on the money, on the money I owe.” reverberating through her head. Even though right now all her debt is about to be wiped out by her second paycheck.

 

Veronica is lounging on the sofa one moment and hugging Betty the next. She realizes very quickly that Kevin was accurate when he talked about Veronica being very high. Her sentences loop around Betty in a way that make Betty feel to sober, but also strangely loved.

 

Veronica gets Betty a glass of wine, Betty puts the cookies out on a table full of sweets, and soon they and half a dozen other people are dancing to It’s Time to Pretend by MGMT.  Betty feels a little drunk now, but she doesn’t think it is the wine, she’s only had half a glass, but the attitude of everyone around her.

 

Then she sees Jughead enter from the backyard with Emma, his tallness exaggerated by her smallness. Not only is Emma short, but she is so thin her bones look prominent. Jughead pushes past Veronica and Betty to turn off the record player and shouts “Quiet! Quiet!”

 

Everyone hushes. “Thank you!” He says, smiling in a nervous way. Jughead reaches his arm out and takes Emma's hand and tugs her close, till they are hip to hip, his arm goes around her waist. Emma looks a little unsteady on her feet. She’s smiling, but it’s not making it to her eyes.

 

Because Betty’s been a longtime fan of _Swift River_ she’s heard the rumors about Jughead and Emma - that they are actually together they just don’t want to talk about. This feels like confirmation. Although no one else in the room looks shocked so maybe it’s an open secret on set.

 

“I just wanted to tell everyone how grateful we are to be on Season 4! How wonderful it is to share our lives with everyone who has been here for the long haul and how eager we are to get to know the new people.” Betty can feel eyes swivel towards her after that remark. There is new crew, but she’s the only knew cast member to join this year.

 

“We love you all.” Emma says. Someone wolf whistles in response.

 

“So please, eat, drink, have fun! Also, if for some reason the cops aren’t called tonight we will consider this party a failure so keep that in mind.”

 

A huge cheer goes up and there is a lot of clapping. Betty turns to Veronica “Are they serious about the cops?” Even in high school she hadn’t really been to a party where the cops were called.

 

“One neighbor calls the cops on the party every time they throw one. Even if they are really quiet. The cops don’t take it seriously, so neither do they.”

 

Betty glances back at Jughead to see what he is doing now, but instead she catches Emma leaving through the backdoor, one hand pressed against her stomach, a pained look on her face.

 

“Hello.” While Betty was focused on the backdoor, Jughead has made it to where she is and is standing in front of her. She is caught off guard again by his eyes. Even before she met him she had a crush on him. It feels strange talking to him now in his house.

 

“Hi! Your house is great. I love the kitchen.” It had the feeling of an old farmhouse, but with all the best appliances. 

 

“Thanks! Emma designed it when she moved in.”

 

“She did a great job. How long have you guys been together?” Betty couldn’t help herself – the question just slipped out of her mouth. It certainly wasn’t planed. Jughead flushes red.

 

 “we are not together-together. We never have been.”

 

“Oh! But I…”

 

“No, I get it. I mean we get this all the time. We’ve been cohabiting and co-parenting for three years. Even before that we spent all our free time together. I think we confuse the hell out of a lot of people. But we just don’t see each other that way at all.”

 

Suddenly Veronica had joined them she places a hand on Betty’s shoulder. “It’s true. It’s the biggest argument for platonic ideals I’ve ever seen.”

 

“Veronica uses big words when she’s high, but she’s not wrong.” Archie says, suddenly joining the conversation. “Where is Clair staying right now?”

 

For a second Betty wonders who Clair is, and then she remembers. She is Jughead’s daughter. Darwin August who was one of the main characters on Jughead’s first show is her mother, though Betty knows from the gossip magazines that she has drug issues.

 

“With FP.” Jughead says and Betty wonders who that is. The hard thing about being the new person on set is that she doesn’t understand a lot of what others say, and she has to make snap decisions about whether or not she is going to ask a clarifying question or just live with the mystery. This time she decides to live with the mystery.

 

“Betty, have you had food yet?” Jughead asks, brushing one of his curls off his forehead.

 

“Nope, not yet.”

 

“Let me show you what we have.” Jughead lead her into the kitchen and explained what was what (and what dietary restrictions were accommodated for). When Betty pointed out the cookies she had made, Jughead snagged one, and the smile on his face after the first bite made her very glad she had spent the morning making them.

 

Betty grabbed a plate and put a few pieces of chicken and a green salad on it, while Jughead managed to stack a truly impressive amount of food on his.

 

“Do you want to eat outside with me?” Jughead asks.

 

“Yes, do you want some wine first, or a beer?” Betty said, realizing only than that she was offering the host of the event alcohol that he had probably bought. She felt a little silly for her actions.

 

“No, I don’t drink.”

 

Betty had already poured herself a new glass of wine, and she felt a little awkward about drinking alone, but it felt more awkward to obviously abandon it on the counter. Jughead clearly picked up on her apprehension.

 

“I don’t care if anyone else does though. Growing up in the neighborhood we did either drives you to drink or drives you never drink. Emma and I belong in the latter category.”

 

Betty nods and follows him out into the backyard. There is a big table underneath an oak tree and Jughead sits down on one side and Betty the other. There are a lot of other people in the yard, Betty doesn’t recognize anyone though.

 

The yard is large and well maintained and there is a beautiful green gazebo near the back and a large play-set that looks more like it belongs in a park than a backyard.

 

“Do you spend a lot of your free time gardening?” Betty asks.

 

“Nope. We pay someone to do it all. But Clair loves the backyard. And I never had enough space growing up, so it felt extravagant, to give my daughter something I always wanted but never had.”

 

Betty nods. She grew up with a proper backyard, with a proper house. Her parents cut her off last year when she declared she wanted to be an actress, and things became tight financially, but not as tight as they could have been, because her parents had paid for college already.

 

She knows she doesn’t see poverty the same way that someone who grew up in it does. Even without her parent’s support, she’s never had to worry about how she would pay for her next meal.

 

Betty eats a bite of salad “So you throw a party like this twice a year?”

 

“Yes. It helps break the ice, forces people to spend time together. It always pays off, even though I hate attending parties.”

 

“Veronica mentioned that.” Betty said, a smile playing on her face. “She told me that last year she caught you sneaking out her bathroom window five minutes after you arrived at her Christmas party.”

 

“Yes. But what she doesn’t know is that I had successfully pulled off the same trick two years in a row before that.”

 

Betty laughed thoroughly. Not just at the statement but the way Jughead said it, he was so smug, sitting there with one of his eyebrows raised.

 

“I’m not much of a party person either.”

 

“I gathered.” Jughead said with a smile. “What would you rather be doing right now?”

 

The question caught Betty off guard. There was in fact nothing she would rather be doing but sitting in a beautiful backyard with someone she had admired for a long time, while eating good food.

 

It’s strange though. She’d only met one celebrity she had admired before and he had turned out to be an ass. Jughead and everyone else on set were surprisingly charming. She knew this feeling - the feeling of Jughead as other was going to fade overtime, but she still felt it now. She wondered if her attraction to him would too. She suspected not.

 

“I’ve actually enjoyed myself so far.”

 

“Good, but what would you be doing normally on a Saturday night?”

 

“Reading, probably. With a glass of wine.”

 

“Oh? What kind of books do you like.”

 

“The angry dark beautiful kind.”

 

“Give me some examples?”

 

“All the Light We Cannot See. Beloved. Farewell My Lovely.”

 

“You have good taste.” Jughead said. There is no expression of surprise or teasing on his face, which reassures her.

 

“What would you normally be doing?”

 

“Making Clair supper. Playing games with her.”

 

“How old is she?”

 

“Eight now. So I only have a few years left till she turns into a grumpy teenager apparently.”

 

Betty smiles. “My niece and nephew are ten, and I can already see them changing.”

 

Jughead swallows an enormous bite of burger. Archie sets down next to Jughead and asks “Where’s Emma?”. His town is tense.

 

“I don’t know. She wasn’t feeling well.”

 

“I know, she told me that too, but I just checked her bedroom and she’s not there. I tried calling but she isn’t answering” Archie says. Betty knows based on how everyone talks on set that Archie is the cast member that is closest to Jughead and Emma. His nickname is teacher’s pet because of that, but no one means anything bad by it.  

 

“Shit. I’ll go upstairs and check my room and Clair’s just in case.”

 

“I’ll check her car.” Archie says.

 

“I can look around the backyard.” Betty volunteers. She’s finished her meal and she hates the idea of sitting idly by while they hunt around for Emma.

 

“Thanks.” Jughead says from the porch as he turns to enter the house.

 

Betty gets up and starts to walk around the perimeter of the backyard, but then she notices a sign of movement in the gazebo. She goes up the stairs and finds Emma on one of the lounge chairs hand pressed against her stomach.

 

“Are you ok?” Betty asks.

 

Emma looks up and smiles faintly at her “My stomach doesn’t feel well. It’s been bothering me lately.”

 

“Archie and Jughead were worried about you.”

 

“Tell A and J I’m fine.” Emma says with a nod. Betty doesn’t think she looks fine, but she doesn’t really know Emma either. Although the few times Emma’s dropped by set while Betty’s filming, she’s said nice and funny things. She just strikes Betty as a little closed off, a little mysterious.

 

“Ok. Is there anything I can get you?” Betty asks.

 

“A sparkling water might help.”

 

“Coming right up.” Betty volunteers. She heads back to the house and finds a personal size San Pellegrino in the fridge. She walks back towards the gazebo and when she climbs the steps she sees Archie leaning over Emma’s legs and kissing her.

 

It’s an intimate kiss. Betty can tell even from ten feet away that this is far from their first time kissing. Betty forces herself to make a coughing sound and they stop kissing and turn to face her. Both of their faces are blushed red.

 

“Sorry!” Archie says.

 

“Thank you for the water!” Emma offers extending her hand towards it.

 

Betty is surprised she didn’t know that they were a couple. No one’s talked about them romantically and Archie has a bit of a reputation for dating around.

 

“Please don’t tell Jughead.” Emma says.

 

“What! He doesn’t know?” Betty is shocked. They seem to have the kind of friendship that involves telling each other everything.

 

“Emma doesn’t have the greatest dating history.” Archie says, his face no longer red. “But Jughead is really protective of Emma, period.”

 

“How long has this been going on?” Betty realizes this isn’t any of her business but she can’t help herself from asking.

 

“Two years.” Archie says. “I’m serious. I’ve asked her to marry me.”

 

Emma grins and slaps his arm lightly. “You didn’t need to tell Betty that.” Archie smiles like this is a point of pride. Like he’s wanted to shout about all this for years and only now is able to talk about it in a small way.

 

“When are you going to tell Jughead?” Betty asks. She can’t imagine hiding the sort of relationship they have had for the length that they have had it (the longest relationship Betty has been in was a year long).

 

“When he was in a relationship again. We thought that might mellow him out a bit.” Archie says.

 

“We were hoping he would date you actually.” Emma volunteers and Betty can’t stop her face from turning red.

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay in updates. My hope is to update once a week (twice this week to make up for lost time). 
> 
> I am super excited that Riverdale is back tonight, even if for personal reasons I won't be able to watch it till tomorrow. 
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the last three weeks Jughead has felt like he drank the Kool-Aid, put on rose colored glasses, or somehow found a way to walk on sunshine. Everything in his life feels better, not just a little bit – a whole lot. 

It’s been a long time since Jughead met someone new that he actually felt a connection to. When you meet your best friend at age 5 and everyone outside of that person has abandoned you, it can be fairly hard to trust new people, to allow yourself to care for new people. 

Archie became Jughead’s friend only because Archie was so boneheaded. He ignored all the insults and coldness Jughead hurled his way when they first met, and he stuck around for a long time while Jughead didn’t like him, till at some point Jughead realized Archie wasn’t all bad. Archie filled a need that Emma didn’t, even though that need was just someone to play video games with. 

Betty’s not hard headed like Archie. Jughead had liked her right away. Even when her smile revealed her nervousness, or perhaps because of that. After the party at his house they started having lunch together most days. At first Emma hung out with them, but then she’s gone on a flurry of doctor appointments and tests that Jughead is trying not to worry too much about. 

A week later Betty’s car breaks down and Jughead drives her home from work. While sitting in the terrible LA traffic he discovers a lot about her, from her love of The National, to the fact that she has a love-hate relationship with the color pink. 

He is surprised to discover that she is a writer too, although not of fiction. One day he makes her read the essay she published in her university literary journal on sisterhood aloud. It is multi-faceted and compelling. He wants to ask her all about Polly after that, but restrains himself. Betty is mostly an open book, it seems, but she is closed about her family, outside of this essay. Talking about her niece and nephew occasionally, but nothing beyond that. 

Today Jughead’s headed towards the set. Archie and Betty are filming some scenes from the third episode together and Jughead has finally worked up enough courage to ask Betty out. Or rather Emma has given him enough courage to ask Betty out, by assuring him that Betty will say yes. 

Jughead approaches where they are filming today, and sees that they are still shooting, so he makes sure to stay clear of the camera’s and also out of Betty’s line of sight so he doesn’t serve as a distraction. 

Once Jughead has found the right place to stand he starts to watch the scene unfold. Archie’s character makes a loud angry statement about politics and then Betty’s character kisses him. 

Jughead has no reason to feel surprised or jealous about the scene. He wrote it after all, but he is surprised by it anyways. He likes to think he’s not jealous, but he’s pretty sure that is what the clenched feeling in his gut is about. 

Although the feeling dissipates when Jughead realizes how awful the kiss is. There is no chemistry in it, no joy. Archie is doing ok with the scene, though far from great, but Betty looks like she’s kissing something that smells horrible. 

“Cut. Cut.” Kevin yells. “That was even worse than the first ten takes.”

Betty blushes red, and Jughead resists the urge to step out there and interfere. 

“Can I weigh in?” Archie asks.

“Sure.” Kevin says with a sigh.

Archie turns towards Betty “The only way I get through scenes like this is I picture the women I love, the person I want to kiss, in my mind and I go into the kiss thinking about her. So maybe that would work for you. If you picked a person and pictured them.”

Jughead almost laughs. Not because it’s bad advice, but just because Archie is saying the word love like he knows what it is. Betty blushes again, but this time it is a gentle pink and not a dark red.

“That is actually not half bad advice.” Kevin says.

The camera starts rolling again and this time after Archie delivers his line Betty leans in and gives him a kiss that conveys tenderness. Jughead wonders if Betty is picturing him. He sure hopes so. 

“Cut!” Kevin says, a smile on his face. “That is so much better.” 

 

*****

 

Betty runs down the steps of her apartment building and gets in the car. She has spent a lot of time with Jughead lately, but this is different. This is a date, and so there are nerves involved. 

He had asked her out almost a week ago, and she had delayed twice, not because she didn’t want to date him, she very much did, but because just the idea of a date had required extra therapy. 

Yesterday her therapist had asked her why she was so nervous about dating someone she was attracted to who she already spending alone time with on a regular basis. Betty didn’t have a good answer to that question. 

But here she is actually on a date and barely able to smile at Jughead because of all the nervous energy she felt flowing through her blood stream. 

“You look beautiful.” Jughead says.

“Thanks.” She blushes, too nervous to even return the compliment, although she thinks he does looks dashing. His hair is almost tidy today, and he has gone without the beanie. His shirt is a gray that brings out his eyes.

“I’m nervous too.” He says, although his voice is unwavering when he says it. His fingers are still, whereas hers are twitching. 

“I can’t tell.”

“Good. Maybe I should be the actor.” Jughead says with a wink as he shifts the jeep into gear. 

There was traffic everywhere, but they made it into the downtown sooner than Betty anticipated they would. Jughead had checked with her beforehand about food preferences, so she was not surprised when he led her into an Italian restraint. 

Before the appetizers came they did not talk much, but Betty noticed the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her. She should not be scared. He already knew a lot of her flaws from their time spent together. 

It was so easy to talk to him when it wasn’t labeled a date, but tonight she was struggling to think of anything to say.

“What do you like about script writing?” She asks. She almost kicks herself. This is probably a question he’s answered a couple dozen times for a bunch of magazines. This is a date not an interview. Although he doesn’t seem to mind. They are waiting for the main course to arrive and he leans back in his seat as if he’s thinking about it.

“Honestly the part I love best is coming up with the initial idea. Like the whole premise of Swift River came to me and Emma when we are on vacation in Hawaii with Clair and Darwin. We just spent the rest of the trip jotting down plot points and ideas for eventual seasons, ones we haven’t even gotten to yet. That was such a great week. Just having fun with everything, not caring about sets or budgets.”

“So the part without logistics is your favorite?” Betty asked. The answer had been different than she had expected, it was better, although with the mention of his ex, she felt this small spike of jealousy. Jughead had never mentioned Darwin to Betty before, but there was no way around the fact that she was the mother of his child.

“Yes. Although occasionally the logistics force me to be a better writer. Every episode we have to have at least one scene in Veronica’s character’s living room to justify the cost of that set. I’ve written really vital scenes that I wouldn’t have thought of writing at all if I wasn’t forced to fill that need. Sometimes restrictions force you to be more creative.”

“I get that.” Betty says. She writes every day, but journaling is so different. The way Jughead talks about writing creatively makes her want to do that instead. 

“How did you get into acting?” Jughead asks.

The food arrives, ravioli for him and a pesto pasta for her. After Betty thanks the waiter she answers Jughead “I’ve never not acted. I was baby Jesus in my church’s production of The Nativity, when I was three months old. The next year I was a lamb and eventually I got the only speaking part as Gabriel. At school too, I was always acting, always auditioning. My parents really encouraged it. But only to a point. It was supposed to be a hobby, not a job.”

“Oh?” Jughead said, after swallowing a bite of his pasta. 

“We aren’t on speaking terms. I thought getting this job would help, but apparently not.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. I think most people have complicated relationships with their parents.”

“I used to be fine with that, but then I started imagining Clair growing up and not speaking to me and it filled me with terror.” Jughead says. Betty laughs.

“I get that. But you seem like a really good dad.” 

“So far. Maybe she will turn into a teenager and I will go through a sudden personality change and start failing her.”

“That’s not how it worked with my parents. I love them, but they’ve always wanted to control me.” It was hard telling him something so personal, but she wanted to reassure him that this wouldn’t be what happened to him.

“If you say so.” He says with a smile, and she realizes she wants nothing more than to kiss him right now, but the timing is all wrong and he takes another bite of his pasta.

 

***

 

Jughead drives Betty back home, his heart feeling both light and full. She seems at ease now, she has slipped her high heels off in the car and is stretching her feet. The nervousness she had when he first picked her up is long gone. 

He’s thought about kissing her almost every minute of the date. But he knows he has to do it soon because they are running out of time. He hates the idea of a cliché first doorway kiss but that’s the problem with dinner dates. Kissing anyone for the first time in a room full of people is bound to be awkward. 

He pulled up in front of her building, but neither makes a move to get out of the jeep, both talking lazily about possible plans for next week. They both want to see the same movie, so Jughead suggests that. 

Then he finds himself leaning over to Betty’s seat and kissing her lightly at first. Her lips are soft and warm, she tastes a little like vanilla. Their noses brush as he pulls away. 

Something moves in his chest, the hint of an emotion he hasn’t felt is a long time. He has a hard time identifying it right away, but after another long kiss, he is able to place it as he drives home along the now empty streets. The feeling is one of possibility, hope for something to grow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is later than I expected because I lost the entire first draft and had to re-write it. 
> 
> I am always grateful for comments and kudos. I am on Tumblr as Darknessaroundus


	4. Chapter Four

Betty gets out of the cab and she is already overwhelmed. She’s never been to Comicon as a fan (it frankly seemed too expensive and too crowded) and now she’s here as a panelist. They also have a million interviews scheduled, one after the other, and the signing. 

It’s strange to be here, because the first episode of Swift River featuring her character hasn’t even aired yet. The only thing fans have seen of her so far is the trailer for the new season, which is only a minute of new footage, only 20 seconds of which she appears in. 

Betty is shuffled into her room, which is far fancier than where she would be staying if she had to pay for it herself, but the cast and creators of Swift Rivers have a whole block of rooms together. As if to prove a point Emma knocks on her door a few minutes later and shows Betty how all the rooms are connected by linked doors through the back.

“So you don’t have to go through the hall to get to Jughead’s room.” Emma says with a wink. “I’m next door and he’s the one next to mine. Come through mine anytime.”

Betty blushes. Jughead and she have been keeping a low profile. Of course, the cast knows but outside of that there’s been nothing in the press. She’s kept an eye on fan sites too, and while there are a few rumors, it’s nothing significant. 

Jughead wants to wait till things have settled between them a bit before going public, and Betty agrees completely. She doesn’t like the idea of the added pressure that being public would bring, and while that is unavoidable in the long run, she likes the little bubble they’ve created between them. 

It’s been a month now of a few dates every week. They’ve had great hikes in the hills, evenings at her apartment watching David Fincher movies, and a few dinner dates - they’ve gone to increasingly obscure restaurants to avoid press. 

She’s yet to meet Clair yet, but they have a dinner scheduled for when they get back, and Betty’s looking forward to that. Jughead had told her before they had started dating that he’d never introduced Clair to a girlfriend before, so she knows this is a big deal. 

Betty’s gotten close to Emma too. The doctors have yet to figure out what is going on with her, but she’s on medication now that seems to be helping. 

It does drive Betty nuts that Jughead doesn’t know about Archie and Emma. She hates the idea of keeping a secret from him, but it’s not exactly her secret to tell. Besides she’s now seen Jughead be protective of Emma in a way where she knows he’s overstepped his bounds. He’s told Betty about Emma’s abusive ex, so she kind of gets why, but she knows Archie is nothing like that. 

She’s just seen little peeks into Archie and Emma’s relationship, because she spends so much time around Jughead, but what she has seen is sweet, and full of love. 

“Betty?” Emma says, and Betty pulls out of her thoughts. “Are you ok?”

“Yes. Just wondering when you and Archie were going to tell Jughead about your relationship?”

“Any day now. He’s so smitten for you. It should be easy.” Emma says this in a way that Betty understand that it’s actually not. 

“I just hate keeping anything from him.” 

“I get that. And you’re not. It’s completely our fault.” Emma says, glancing at her phone. “You’ve got to get to hair and make-up now.”

Betty follows the written instructions and makes it there as quickly as possible. Veronica is already getting her make up done when Betty enters, and she insists that Betty get hers done beside her so they can chat. 

“Are you nervous?” Veronica asks.

“How could I not be?” Betty says. “Weren’t you, the first time?”

“That was so long ago it is hard to remember.” Veronica shakes her hand dismissively. 

“I’m not there yet.” 

“You’ll get there” Veronica says, and later that afternoon when the panel heads up on to the stage and Betty sits down between Archie and Veronica, she tries to imagine a reality where this isn’t the biggest and scariest thing she’s ever done. 

Betty breathes heavily in and out, in and out. She doesn’t want to have a panic attack right now on this stage. She can’t. When she thought about acting she never let moments like this cross her mind. 

Out of the corner of her eye she can see Jughead send her a smile, the kind he reserves for her. She forces herself to sit down and look out into the crowd. She’s new to the cast, so no one is screaming her name. 

Archie reaches over and squeezes her arm, sending encouragement. It’s funny because he can come off as brash and arrogant sometimes, but he’s never been anything but kind to her. 

Before anyone talks they air the promo of the next season. It is 5 minutes long, and Betty’s character features prominently in the footage. It is the first impression anyone will get of her character. From the sounds the audience makes, they seem receptive. Lots of laughter follows her first line. 

Betty’s nervous about it. The character she’s playing is the third wheel, the bump in the road for the already established pairing of Archie and Veronica’s character, so she didn’t hold out a lot of hope for a positive reception. 

But Emma and Jughead have written her so carefully and thoughtfully, that maybe her character will be the exception to the rule.

After the promo the panelists have to talk. The first few questions are leveled at Emma and Jughead who answered with practiced calm. This isn’t new to them. This is something they’ve handled so many times before. 

Someone yells out from the crowd “Just admit you’re a couple - damnit.” Jughead continues talking like he hasn’t even heard it. Maybe he hasn’t.

The funny thing is that if Betty was in the crowd right now she would be assuming they were a couple. The way they touch is comfortable, the way their conversation works, even in this sort of setting, is kind of magic. But there she is, with Archie besides her, both watching their significant others be misconstrued by half the room.

Betty knows their mics aren’t on yet so she leans over to Archie and whispers “Does this ever bother you?” 

“Sometimes.” He says it with a non-committal shrug. 

Then the questions turn towards the cast and their mics get turned on. Somehow Betty’s mouth works and she is able to answer all of the questions, maybe not well, but at least she is able to respond with words, whole sentences even. 

Afterwards Betty feels exhausted and also jittery with energy, an uncomfortable paradox in every sense of the word. The whole group goes back to Jughead’s room and everyone, even Emma and Jughead drink a glass of Champagne.

Jughead pulls her onto his lap, after he sits down. “It went really well.” He says.

“I guess.” Betty has a hard time remembering exactly what she said, but she does feel good now. Light with relief. Even though after this there will be three parties, a meet and greet, and what she is probably dreading most, interviews with 20 different media outlets. Even spread over three days the thought of all this overwhelms her. 

She must be breathing funny, because Jughead whispers “You’re safe” in her ear, and she feels safe in here, with the rest of the cast, with him. It’s strange because it’s still so new. She was with her ex-boyfriend Adam for almost three years and the whole time she always felt on edge, like at any moment he would leave her, when in reality she ended up leaving him. 

Betty was glad they got to be physically close in the room among the cast and crew, because the two parties they went to after that she had to make a conscious effort not to touch him. She doesn’t know how Emma and Archie managed to pull off a secret relationship for years. Jughead almost accidently holds her hand at the first party, and at the second, she almost sits in his lap. 

They decide after that, that they should put some physical distance between them to avoid slipping up. Betty spends the rest of the evening with Veronica. The funny thing is that Archie and Emma spend all of their time together at both parties and no one would guess that they were together.

Betty leaves the last party on the earlier side of things and she is all ready for bed and reading when she hears a knock on the door that leads directly into Emma’s room. She opens it to reveal a sleepy looking Jughead.

“I was hoping to say goodnight. It’s not too late is it?” He asks, entering. 

“No, it’s good.” Betty says. They haven’t slept together yet, in terms of either interpretation of the word. At home it’s hard for him to be gone a whole night. Jughead told her that he wants to take it slow. That he’s done the hook up thing, and he wants to make it very clear that he’s not going to do that with her. His candor surprises her, but she’s grateful for it. 

She doesn’t say anything more she just lays down in the bed, pulling back enough of the cover to make it abundantly clear that she wants him to sleep beside her, he smiles at her broadly before climbing in. 

They kiss lazily for a few minutes and warmth floods Betty’s body. His hand presses against her chest, and she loops an arm over his back. She feels sleep tugging at her, but also she wants to do more, both of these desires are at odds with each other. 

Sleep apparently wins because the next thing she knows she’s waking up to her alarm clock, Jughead’s arm wrapped securely around her waist. 

He’s startled into awareness too, and he looks around the room, blinking. Betty stifles a laugh. He looks so much younger like this. His hair is spiked in all different directions.

“Shit. It’s 6! I have to be at a meeting in half an hour.” Jughead says. 

“I don’t have anything till 9. I just set it early in the hopes of working out before that.”

Jughead gets out of bed, pulls on the jeans that he must have taken off at some point in the night, and kisses her. It’s just a tentative peck at first, but it becomes firmer and more insistent over time. Then he pulls away she groans. “I really have to go.”

“Goodbye.” Betty feels herself smile with her whole body. Jughead opens the door to go back to his room and then he swears. Betty rushes over beside him, so she can see what he sees. 

Archie and Emma are fully dressed and no longer kissing but it is clear from Jughead’s cursing that they just were. 

“What the hell?” Jughead said.

Betty watches as their bodies spring apart, and then she can see Emma make a conscious decision. This time Emma moves towards Archie. She takes his hand in hers and she turns towards Jughead.

“Why in hell did you two hook up?” Jughead says. 

“It’s not a hook up.” Archie says. His posture is incredibly straight, and he meets Jughead’s gaze. “I love her.”

“That’s what you’re saying this week. Next week you’ll be saying the same thing to some other women.” Jughead snaps. Betty’s never seen him angry before. She knows he’s just trying to protect someone he loves, but still. She finds herself stepping away from the doorway.

“I’ve been saying it for two years now, Jughead. And I plan on saying it the rest of my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sort of cliffhanger. I just feel like being protective is an inherent part of Jughead's personality towards all the people he loves, romantically or not. There seemed to be no honest way for him not to be really mad at Archie (and he will continue to be for a while). 
> 
> The next chapter involves Betty meeting Clair!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head up, I am completely incapable of writing smut, I think this as close as I ever come to that is in this chapter. It is in no way explicit, but I upped the rating to Mature just in case.
> 
> Also I seem to be updating this story every Friday :)

Betty braces for a hellish day. Jughead leaves in a huff and Betty finds herself taking out all her anxious energy on a tread mill. For half an hour she runs as hard as she cans. She follows the run with a long hot shower. 

She checks her Instagram account and has found that overnight her followers have tripled. She exhales. She was expecting this. When her casting was first announced she went from a hundred followers, all friends and family, to four thousand overnight. She went through and deleted most of her photos, leaving behind a carefully curated collection of selfies and shots of coffee art.

Betty goes downstairs and has her makeup done and then she and Veronica and Archie go from interview to interview, answering a never ending litany of similar and identical questions. Emma and Jughead are not there for this. It’s cast only. In a quiet moment Betty asks Archie how he’s doing and he only shrugs. 

Whenever the camera rolls everything seems fine with Archie. He answers all the interviewers questions. As soon as the camera turns off he retreats back into his own head, into silence. 

Betty texts Jughead between interviews, and he says everything fine. That it’s all being sorted out. She hopes that’s true.

After the last interviews over they do the signing and Archie’s smile seems so bright that Betty forgets that he’s not ok, till it’s over. When he gets in the elevator after it’s like he’s taking off a mask. He heads straight to Emma’s room without saying goodbye.

Betty changes and has her makeup done all over again for yet another contractually obligated party. 

She arrives late to the party after deciding that she needs to meditate for ten minutes before heading down. She runs into Emma in the elevator whose hand is firmly intertwined in Archie’s. 

Betty smiles at them, but doesn’t say anything as the elevator is already half full of strangers, other actors heading to the same party. Archie and Emma look happy but exhausted. They’ve got genuine smiles, but it also looks like Emma’s wearing a lot more makeup than usual. 

They step out into the party and Betty is able to find a way to whisper in Emma’s ear “I hope you’re ok.” 

“We will be. Tell you later.” Emma whispers back. Betty wishes she could just disappear into the crowd (or better yet, not be here at all), but that isn’t a realistic option. 

Instead they have to do the red carpet. Emma and Archie goes first. Usually this part is all poses and photographs, but clearly due to the fact that their holding hands, they get asked some questions this time around. Naturally the questions are all about their relationship. 

It’s funny to Betty that the reporters have been so sure that Emma was in a discreet relationship for a long time, and they were just wrong about who it was with. 

Emma looks a little tense, till Archie whispers something in her ear, than dips her slightly. The smiles that bloom on both their faces, take a little of the stress out of Betty’s own body, and when she finds herself the focus of the photographers attention, she feels more or less at ease. 

Betty doesn’t see Jughead at first, but she spends some time with Veronica, who apparently has known about Emma and Archie for years. Then she talks to two members of a cast that is on the same network Swift River is on. 

She is on her second glass of wine when Jughead shows up. He looks happy when he greets her. As if the events that happened this morning, were a distant memory. 

The rest of the party passes in a pleasant, discreetly flirty buzz. It’s not till they’re back in her room two hours later that Betty is able to ask him a question about what is really going on. But the minute the door shuts, before she can ask him anything, Jugheads lips press against her mouth, all heat and energy. 

He’s so much bolder than he usually is. His tongue finds hers, and then when she slips hers into his mouth, he traps it with his teeth. She makes a surprised noise and he releases it. 

“Was that ok?” He asks, pulling away. Her grin answers his question wordlessly, and next time he traps her tongue, a little more aggressively. 

Jugheads hand cups her breast. Her dress is still on, but it’s low cut and has given his hand a lot of skin to work with. She’s so caught up in the glow of it all. It feels a bit like flying. She takes off her dress. She feels shy, him seeing her like this. But he seems awe-struck a little by her, even though she’s just standing there.

What follows manages to be intoxicating, awkward, and amazing. What surprises Betty even more is how at peace she feels afterwards. Usually she feels critical and vulnerable once the high wears off, but this time she feels content, more than anything, at peace in his arms. He’s got her spooned tightly. 

Before she felt exhausted but now she feels alert, awake. Suddenly she remembers the awful start to the day. “Jughead, what happened between you and Emma and Archie?”

“Why do you have to bring that up?” He says, but his tone is lighthearted. 

“Because…” Betty knew there was no reason to elaborate.

“I talked with Emma about it. When you were in interviews, we hashed it out, like we always have. I get now why she didn’t tell me. I could’ve reacted better, obviously.”

“You certainly could have.” Betty said, although there’s a smile on her face.

“Hey, I’m your man. You should be on my side.” 

Betty only giggles her response to that question. This was going far better than she expected. 

“Emma’s so sure Archie loves her. I mean she told me that they want to get married, but I think she’s wrong. I mean he’s never taken a girl seriously before.”

Betty pulls away a little, so that she can see Jughead’s eyes. He looks worried. “But isn’t that how it works? People aren’t serious about the wrong person and then they meet the right one.”

“I don’t know.” Jughead said. “I’m still trying to figure it out. I just don’t trust Archie.”

“He’s one of your best friends.” Betty protests.

Jughead doesn’t reply and when he does say something again it doesn’t address her statement. “I told Emma that they can be together, but I don’t want him around our house or my daughter, anymore for a while. That I’m not sure my friendship with Archie will survive this.” That certainly explains the stress Archie was exuding earlier today and the tension Emma displayed as well. 

“But your friendship with Emma?” 

“That can survive anything. Can we just please change the subject? I want to be talking about us, not other people’s love lives.” Jughead said, his face softening, his arm encouraging her to nestle in beside him. Betty finds herself smiling and nodding. 

***

 

On the way back from ComicCon they all shared a plane, and everything seemed back to normal in terms of Jughead and Emma. But Archie steered well clear of Jughead. They didn’t exchange one word the whole trip.

During the next week on set Betty realizes how much things have fundamentally shifted. Jughead spends a lot of time with Emma still, but Archie is never there. In fact the two of them never exchange more than two words on set. 

When Betty asks Archie about it he shrugs, and then because Betty doesn’t stop staring at him, he spells it out “Jughead is really mad at me. I’m not allowed to go to Emma’s house, even if he’s not there. But it is worth it in the end, because I’m allowed to hold hands in public with the love of my life. I just wish I didn’t have to lose one of my best friendships because of that.”

On Friday things escalate, because Emma shows up with a diamond ring on her finger. She makes it very clear to one and all that it is not a blood diamond. Jughead shares lunch with Betty as he has every day that week, and while he seems ok, he doesn’t bring up Emma’s new engagement. 

He does bring up the Betty’s first meeting with Clair which is scheduled for that evening. He asks Betty if she would prefer to have Emma there or not. Betty says whichever Clair prefers. She wants Clair to be comfortable. 

So it does not surprise Betty when Emma opens the door of the blue Victorian that night. She’s smiling in an exhausted way, but she gives Betty a warm hug, and then ushers Betty into the kitchen.

“Jughead ran out to get some ice cream. But Clair’s in here helping me cook.” Emma says. At the counter chopping carrots methodically is a girl with brown ringlets and olive skin. Her eyes are a deep blue. She turns towards Betty with a shy smile. 

“Hi, can I help?”

“Sure, there’s an onion that needs to be chopped.” Emma volunteers.

“Trying to make me cry?” Betty says jokingly. 

Clair laughs. “It’s not that kind of onion.”

“Do you like cooking?” Betty asks, taking her place at the counter and chopping the onion. It is indeed not the kind that brings tears, and it steadies her to keep her hands busy. 

It’s funny but even though Clair looks like Jughead’s spitting image, and genetically there is none of Emma in there, Betty can see Emma there. Not in terms of appearances, but in terms of attitude and speech. 

“Baking is more my thing.” Clair says. “But cooking is ok.”

“What do you like baking?” Betty asks.

“Cookies.” Clair says.

“Probably because they’re your favorite to eat.” Emma says, taking the onions from Betty and throwing them into the pan. 

“I like baking cookies too. Snickerdoodles are my favorite.” Betty says, wishing now that she brought some. 

“Mine too.” Clair says. It’s funny, Betty’s never dated someone with kids before but she always assumed kids would be more antagonistic to anyone dating their parent. Clair isn’t like that at all. She seems welcoming and uncritical. 

It’s funny because while in appearance Clair is all Jughead from her dark messy curls to her blue eyes, her attitude, the way she interacts with the world is almost all Emma. 

“Ummi, could we make snickerdoodles too?” Clair asks Emma. Emma glances away from the skillet as if to gauge what Betty is up for. Betty sends a smile and a nod her direction.

“Sure. I can take over making the meal. You two focus on the cookies.”

By the time the snickerdoodles are going into the oven Betty knows all sorts of things about Clair. The name of her best friends at school, the bike she wants for her birthday, and her favorite books. It’s funny because if they had been sitting and eating, she’s pretty sure Clair wouldn’t have opened up nearly as much. 

Jughead arrives home with the ice cream just as the pasta is finished and they all eat and talk easily. Everything made more comfortable by the time spent in the kitchen together. Betty had a lot of apprehension going into this meeting but it all has evaporated in a shocking way.

They eat the cookies and ice-cream outside as Clair shows Betty her favorite parts of the yard. 

“I should be heading out now. We have a long day of shooting tomorrow.” Betty says reluctantly, but she knows Clair’s bedtime must be nearing as well.

“I’m so glad you came.” Clair said with a huge. “The only thing that would make it better is if it was Archie was here." The look on Jughead’s face was as if he had been doused in cold water. 

“Clair, we talked about this.” Jughead says. 

“I don’t see why Uncle Archie can’t be here.” Clair says and Betty can tell she wants to say more, but instead she stomps inside and away from them. 

Jughead acts as if nothing happened. Instead he walks her out to the car and kisses her. As Betty drives away, she can’t help but feel a little ache in her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

Betty sees Jughead chatting with Archie and Kevin at work on Monday. When she asks Emma about it, she smiles “Clair is the one that talked some sense into him.”

“Impressive.”

“She really is.” Emma says with a broad smile. They’re in Emma’s office. Emma’s working from a comfy reclined spot on the sofa. Her laptop leaning against her knees, one hand spread against her stomach.

“How’s it feeling?”

“Not good.” Emma says with a shrug. 

“They still don’t know what is wrong?” Betty asks, she’s leaning against the desk. Eating an apple. She has five minutes before she has to get back to set. 

“They’ve eliminated Crohn’s, Celiac, SIBO, GERDS. They don’t have much left. My GI suggested that it might just be caused by stress. He actually suggested anti-depressants.”

Betty rolls her eyes “I don’t even have to ask if the GI was male.”

Emma chuckles. “I fired him. Hopefully my new GI will be better.”

Jughead enters the room and presses a kiss against Betty’s forehead before looping an arm around her waist. “How are you today?”

“Good.” Betty says with a smile, and she is. She’s still nervous about lots of things. The first episode airs tonight and she’s bracing for any possible fan backlash. But she also feels as if things around her are settling. 

Everything between her and Jughead has been good. She’s never been with someone who makes her less anxious rather than more, but he does. Most of what he wants to do with her is the low-key homebody things that help keep her sane anyways. Watching movies and cooking being prime examples. Not that he really cooks, but he certainly eats what she has made. She has grown to love him sitting on the counter talking to her, as she breaks eggs on the side of a bowl, or whisks together flower, sugar, and baking powder. 

Now that things appear to have settled between Archie and Jughead that will help her anxiety somewhat too. Although she was sure it would take time for things to truly stabilize.

“You’re coming over to watch Swift River tonight, right? It’s your debut.” Emma asks with a wink. Betty didn’t exactly need reminding. But it’s better to watch with them then alone. 

“Of course.” She says. “Will Clair watch it with us?”

“Hell no.” Jughead and Emma say at the same time.

“Maybe when she’s 19.” Jughead says, and Betty stops herself from pointing out that the prime audience of Swift River is 16-18 year olds and is far from a Made for HBO show as they come, but she just giggles instead. 

“But you’re coming over for dinner first, right? Clair will be there.” Emma asks. Betty nods.

“Will Archie be there?” Betty asks Jughead with a raised eyebrow.

“Clair has informed me that she’s moving out if he isn’t, and while there is no way she can follow through with that threat, it was enough to make me cave.” Jughead says, not sourly though.

That is how six hours later Betty found herself dancing to Single Ladies by Beyoncé with Clair and Archie in the kitchen of Jughead’s house. Emma and Jughead watch them from the counter stools with amused expressions on their faces. 

“Do they ever dance?” Betty asks, spinning Clair in a circle.

“Never ever” says Clair.

“They're like the pastor in Footloose.” Archie adds kicking his feet out, one way and then another.

“Hey! I am not stopping you from dancing, I’m just not going to join you.” Emma says with a smile.

“What about at your wedding?” Clair asked. “Everyone dances at their own wedding.”

“I’d rather elope.”

“It’s a point of contention.” Archie adds throwing both of his hands in the air at the chorus.

“Hey, you’re neither a lady or single.” Betty says with a shake of her hips. 

“True.” Archie says letting his hands fall to his side and walking over to Emma and kissing her. Jughead just shakes his head. 

Clair heads up to bed and they find their way to the sofa with two bowls of popcorn. Betty feels her stomach clench. She’s never watched herself on TV before. It is so strange knowing that all across the country other people will be watching it too. Strangers that she will never meet. Something in her breathing must have given her nervs away, because Jughead squeezes her hand.

“It will be fine.” He says, and right then on the flat screen above the mantle Betty’s character walks into view on screen through a forest of trees. 

The rest of the show passes in a blur. Watching something is an entirely different process than shooting it, and even though she’s read the whole script, this wasn’t exactly what she was expecting. She’s not surprised by any of the plot points of course, but rather by how everything looks on camera. 

Certain scenes bring certain memories back like the awkwardness of kissing Archie for the first time. The scene where she and Veronica are in swimsuits reminds her of how cold that day was, how they bundled in blankets between takes. 

The minute the credits roll everyone gets out their phones and starts comparing fan reactions. Betty wasn’t entirely shocked to see her Instagram followers list take another huge leap, but it still made her nervous. As did the comments on her photo promoting that nights episode, for every five I love you posts, there was one, you’re the worst!

Betty found herself squeezing a throw pillow tightly and breathing heavily. She tries focusing on a spot in the middle distance but it isn’t helping, not really.

Emma notices first “Are you ok? Betty do you need some water?” Betty shakes her head. “Some space.” Betty nods and Emma takes Archie’s hand and lead him upstairs. 

“I can go too if that would help.” Jughead asks.

“You don’t need to.” Betty says, a tear escaping. She’s never lost it in front of him before. In past relationships, even friendships, being this vulnerable in front of anyone was usually the beginning of the end.

That thought only made the panic grow. More than anything Betty wants to let go of the pillow and dig into her palms, even though she hadn’t done it in over a year.

Instead Jughead takes the pillow from her and scoops her up onto his lap, taking both her hands in his. “You are safe.”

After 15 minutes of sitting like that, Betty felt her mind calm again, her breathing normalize. 

“Thank you.” She said to Jughead. 

“You don’t need to thank me for anything. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” Betty says with a shrug. She knows that what triggered the attack is just part of getting famous. People will hate her for any number of reasons and they will state it on the internet because they can, because they don’t think of her as a person. 

But no one has stayed as calm and supportive through an attack as Jughead has, so the next worry, the one that he might leave her over this, is fading also. 

“Ok, so I have a really important question for you. And you do have to answer it.” Jughead states. Betty nods her agreement. “Do you want ice cream or cake?”

“Is both an acceptable answer?” Betty asks, enjoying the twinkle that’s now in his eye.

“It is indeed.” He says, kissing her on the lips, his arms around her. 

***

Jughead is a ball of nerves. Last night Emma had pulled him aside and told him that the specialist she was seeing now, the oncologist, had asked her to bring in her support people with her to their appointment. In the waiting room today Arche sat on one side of Emma and Jughead on the other.

Jughead still has his doubts about Archie, but everyone in his life has made it very clear that he had to get over them. So he was polite to Archie, occasionally friendly even, but they still hadn’t had a real one on one conversation yet. The nerves Jughead had right now were about Emma, and the fact that the doctor had a) squeezed her in last minute, and b) insisted that she bring support people. Needless to say, Jughead had not slept last night.

The thing about cancer, and that was what Jughead had to assume Emma had because they were seeing an oncologist and not a different specialist, is that people beat it all the time. Off the top of his head he knew three breast cancer survivors. Technology was improving the odds all of the time. If Emma had cancer she could beat it. She was strong. They had excellent insurance.

“Emma McRae?” The nurse called. “We are ready to see you now.” 

Emma stood up and walked towards the office. Archie was holding her hand and Jughead was a little behind both of them. The doctor welcomes them in. He’s older, with graying hair, and a protruding stomach. He has kind eyes though. The sign on his desk says Dr. Gray.

“Emma, I’m glad you could come on such short notice. These two men are your support people, I take it?”

“Yes, this is my fiancé Archie, and my writing partner Jughead.”

The doctor looks a little confused, maybe by Jughead’s name, but seems to be taking it all in. 

“People don’t usually bring in working partners.” The doctor finally says. “This is a private matter. For family only really.”

A look of annoyance crosses Emma’s face. “I’m sorry. I introduced Jughead incorrectly. He’s my plutonic life partner. Think of him as a brother, but closer, and not biologically related to me.”

“Ah.” Dr. Gray says, as if to convey that he understand the situation, even though the look on his face expresses the opposite. “I wish I had better news for you today, but all the tests we’ve run have come to the same conclusion. You have stage III stomach cancer.”

Shit. Jughead expected it to be cancer, why else would they all be summoned to an oncologists office at the last minute? But still it felt like a blow. He couldn’t remember is stage III was bad or good. He didn’t know anything about stomach cancer specifically. He knew different cancers have different survival rates but he didn’t know of the odds with this one. He kept staring at the doctor, willing him to clarify, to say something. 

They need an action plan now, and the doctor was only the medical professional in the room. Emma starts to tear up, and Jughead can tell that he is close to crying himself.

“So how does stomach cancer work? What are the survival rates? What is the action plan” Archie asks. 

Dr. Gray answers all of Archie’s questions carefully, in a monotone. Just when Jughead felt like he had gotten a handle on the information something new came up that changed his fundamental understanding of what was going on. It was an awful position to be in. Jughead gripped Emma’s hand and at some point he glanced over to see that Archie had the other one. 

Archie’s face was reflective with tears, but Emma seemed calm now, resigned even. 

“So less than 20% is the survival rate?” Emma asks.

“Past five years, yes.” The doctor says.

“So I have time.” Emma exhales loudly.

“Not fucking enough.” Jughead says. 

Dr. Gray ignores the comment “But that is with the treatment we mentioned. A combination of chemo and surgery, should help stave it off.”

“But it’s not guaranteed to be successful?” Archie asks.

Dr. Gray shakes his head “That’s not how medicine realistically works. But the odds are in her favor. I’ve scheduled the surgery for Monday, so we are dealing with this promptly and aggressively. The chemo will be scheduled after we see how she’s recovering from the surgery.“

Emma nods. Jughead hasn’t seen this expression on her face in years. Life lately had been easy in many respects. Most things had gone well. But right now Emma was wearing this unreadable expression, the same one she wore around her mother for most of her childhood. The same expression she once wore before she pushed him down a slide for destroying her Barbie.

Jughead wishes she didn’t have to make that expression, but he understood the impulse. He was overwhelmed right now, and he wasn’t the one facing surgery in three days.

Dr. Gray asked Emma to leave the room first. He said he had to talk with her two support people alone. Emma nodded and left. 

Dr. Gray went to a filing cabinet and got out two folders full of cancer support information. Then Dr. Gray cleared his throat and said “It’s really good to have as many support people as possible, but I want you both to know that you will have to do a lot for Emma in these coming months. If either of you isn’t serious, you should leave sooner rather than later”

Jughead felt anger flow through him. Archie must have sensed it because he grabbed Jughead by the wrist and held it tight. Archie’s muscles easily overpowered Jughead’s and he couldn’t do anything but say motherfucker under his breath as Archie hauled him out of the room. 

Emma wasn’t in the waiting room when they got out there, which meant she must be in the car, Jughead started for the exit, but Archie stopped him there.

“You’ve got to breathe Jughead. We have to support Emma. She is our priority. So you’re going to calm the fuck down before we get into the car.”

“Why aren’t you furious?” Jughead shouts. He knows he shouldn’t. The receptionist shoots him an angry look, but he couldn’t help himself. He shoots an angry look right back.

“Because only one of us can lose our minds at a time.” Archie says. Jughead can’t help but chuckle at that. “And frankly you’ve already accused me of not being able to stand by Emma all month, so I’ve gotten used to it.” 

And that’s when it hits Jughead like an anvil in a Looney Toons episode. When Jughead had heard the news about Emma in the office he’d known that Archie would stand by Emma. He didn’t even question that fact. Emma was Archie’s best friend, and Archie for all his faults stood by his friends. If Jughead had thought of it earlier, he wouldn’t have been such a pompous ass. 

Jughead’s about to apologize, now that he realizes what he’s done, but Archie cuts him off with a simple “I know.” before wrapping him into a hug. They’re both crying by the time they reach the car. 

Emma's crying in the back seat and they both get in on either side of her and hold her there.

"I love you." Archie says.

"I love you too." Emma replies.

"I love you both." Jughead adds. He can feel Emma's smile against his cheek.

"Is this a good time to tell Jughead that I bought the house next door?" Archie asks.

"As good a time as any." Emma says. 

"As long as you don't expect me to move all of your shit for you, I'm good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Always grateful for comments.


	7. Chapter Seven

“I wanted a white wedding.” Clair whines loudly. They are all in the kitchen, the whole informal wedding committee which is comprised of Jughead, Betty, Veronica (she insisted), Emma, and Archie.

“I will be wearing white.” Emma says with a smile. She had chosen a favorite dress of hers to wear. It certainly wasn’t a wedding dress. It was without lace and beading, there was no silk to be found. But it had beautiful delicate layers and intricate flower cut outs. 

“I guess I meant a big wedding. I’ve been dreaming for years about your wedding. I thought there would be a church, lots of guests, a feast at least. Music. Dancing. A huge cake.” Clair has a far-away look in her eyes when she declares this.

“Those ideas are all based on movies right?” Emma teases. “We live in reality, and we have one day to get this wedding together. Today is for planning, Sunday is for the ceremony.”

“I don’t think your taking my feelings into consideration.” Clair pouts. Emma has to force herself not to smile at how absurd this all is.

“The fact that we’re having a wedding at all is because of you. If it was up to me Archie and I would be exchanging our vows in a courthouse now.” And that is the truth. The last thing Emma really wants to do the day before going into surgery is have a big formal party. She would much rather take it easy in bed. Her energy is already limited. 

But Clair is an essential part of her life. She wants to make her as happy as possible and if throwing a slap dash wedding together somehow makes any of this easier for Clair, she’ll do it. 

They told Clair earlier today that Emma is sick, but her eight year old brain seems to hyper focus on the wedding, and the fact that Archie wants to get married as quickly as possible. Archie himself is rather excited for the wedding (far more than Emma). His parents are on a crazy series of flights from Nebraska so they can make it on time. 

Emma feels like crawling into her room and hiding. Everyone is telling her to take it easy, they keep reassuring her that they’re handling things, but they keep wanting her to make the decisions, as if that isn’t a lot of work (mental energy is still energy). 

“Look Clair, Emma is tired. Let’s just work on making this wedding as nice as possible for her sake. I swear when you get married you can even have elephants if you want to.” Jughead declares. Emma feels overwhelmed with gratitude for him. 

Archie nods his agreement and takes her hand and leads her upstairs, as they start up the stairs they hear Clair say “That doesn’t seem very animal friendly?” 

Emma lays down on her bed. Archie shuts the door behind them. She feels grateful for the relief of being horizontal, for the silence that is here in the room. Archie lays down beside her on the bed and slings his arm over her chest.

“We should have just eloped.” She says.

“We still could.” Archie replies.

“Your parents will have flown all night to get here. I can’t do that to them.”

“I can. We can always pull the C card.”

“We’re already pulling the C card.”

“I love you. Whatever you want, I want you to have.” Archie says, kissing her softly.

“I want Clair to have happy memories with me in them.” Emma says.

“She does. Countless nights of Uno and tag, of making cookies and playing magna-tiles. All of the Ramona books. I could go on…”

“I want her to have as many as possible to outweigh the memories of me stuck in bed. Of me being sick of me dy…”

Archie cuts her off by shaking his head “I know where your headed with that sentence and as much as it may be true, I can’t hear it right now.”

“Ok.”

“But we can give Clair the best damned wedding we can scrape together in 24 hours. You’ve sold me on that.” Archie says, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “But stay up here. Let me take over. Don’t worry about anything. Binge watch something stupid and I’ll check on you in regular intervals. Save any energy you have for tomorrow.”

Emma smiles. “If I knew this was going to happen I would have married you a year ago.” 

“I’m just glad you’re doing it now.”

***

When a wedding is as small and slap dash as this one, there is no formal bridal parties, there’s just Jughead walking Emma down the aisle. Archie is standing in the gazebo next to Veronica who was a newly ordained officiant according to the Universal Church. 

Archie was friends with the drummer in a well-known indie band and they had happily agreed to play the wedding (their first and probably only gig of this sort), so the music was good, although in no way traditional as Jughead walked Emma up the aisle. 

Emma didn’t look sick today. Her whole face glowed with joy and her dark hair was up in braids interspersed with flowers. Clair is walking behind them and she looks even happier than the bride.

Jughead kisses Emma’s cheek before she climbed the gazebo steps. He turns away to find Betty sitting in the front row, beautiful in a knee length green sundress. Jughead takes the seat beside her. 

There were only three rows of rented folding chairs and most of them were filled with cast and crew. Many had helped the wedding happen. Kevin had volunteered to be the photographer and he had recruited two cameramen to help. 

The ceremony lasted less than 10 minutes. Clair who had many opinions about flowers (lots), and cupcakes (“so last decade”), did not seem to have opinions on ceremony length, and Emma wanted it to be as short as possible. 

When Archie and Emma exchanged kisses there was a loud round of cheering, and the pair walked back down the aisle to Sunshine of Your Love by Cream. Clair follows them scattering another round of petals and looking so proud, and so grown up. 

Jughead looks over to see that Betty’s eyes are full of tears even though there is a smile on her face. 

“They are so good for each other.” Betty whispers in Jughead’s ear. 

“I know.” He whispers back, realizing that he meant it. 

He stands up and Archie’s parents, Mary and Fred approach him. He’s only met them twice before, but he likes them both. They’re so unlike his and Emma’s parents, they seem surreal. They give him big hugs before meeting Betty. 

“You’re so beautiful in that dress, dear.” Mary says, smiling at Betty.

“Thank you. I know Archie was glad you guys could make the last minute wedding.”

“It wasn’t easy. We had to transfer three times and we actually flew well out of the way to get to LA because of flight availability, but clearly it was worth it.” Fred says.

“Particularly if we get a grandchild in six months” Mary adds with a knowing wink. Jughead feels his guts twist into a knot.

“Didn’t Archie tell you?” Betty asks. Jughead can see the look of alarm in Betty’s eyes, and by the way Mary and Fred’s expressions change, so do they. 

“He told us he had something to tell us in person, something he couldn’t say over the phone.” Fred says.

“We just assumed…” Mary starts to say and then trails off and turns to Fred. “I told you she looked too skinny.”

Betty takes Jughead’s hand and pulls him away. “Staying here won’t help. They need to sort that out on their own.”

“Ok. He really should have told them though.” Jughead says.

“I don’t think Archie knew that they were going to jump to the wrong conclusion.” Betty says. One of the things Jughead likes about her is how kind she is to others, he just wishes she was kinder to herself. 

Clair comes running up to them “I was the best part right?”

Jughead sweeps her up into a hug. “I think Emma and Archie were the best part.” He hoists her up into his arms. Now that she’s eight she rarely allows him to do such things, but clearly today is an exception. 

“No, it was me.” Clair says, as Emma approaches, arm in arm with Archie. Jughead always thought of the phrase glowing with happiness as a clichéd exaggeration, but right now that description was apt for both Emma and Archie. 

“I think she’s right.” Emma says with a wink. “Clair, you were terrific.”

“How does it feel to be married? Is it different?” Clair asks. 

“Ask again in a week.” Archie says. “We’ve got to go talk to my parents.” Emma nods her agreement and they walk over to Mary and Fred.

“We probably should have warned them about the whole shotgun wedding misinterpretation?” Betty says. Jughead just grins at her. He’s not really a wedding person. He hasn’t been to many and the ones he has been seemed stifling. They didn’t seem to reflect the couple whose day it was. 

This was different though. No corporate bullshit, no strangers officiating, just friends coming together. Probably a lot like what a wedding was a hundred years ago, except with better hygiene. 

“Jughead?” He hears Betty call his name and he focuses on her again. She looks beautiful. He realizes that he hopes to have this with her someday. Except without a terrible medical crisis looming. He can’t tell her that though. It’s too soon. Instead he kisses her, and he hopes the kiss will convey just a little bit of what he is thinking

***

Archie is alone in the room. They would only let one person wait in Emma’s room while she was in surgery. Archie feels kind of bad that Jughead is pacing the parking lot right now, waiting for his call. He doesn’t feel bad enough to join him though, Archie wants to be here the moment Emma is wheeled in. 

The room is too small to pace, so instead he’s sitting on an uncomfortable chair, his feet tapping against the floor, his whole body filled with nervous energy. 

They’re still filming Swift River today. It was too late to call it off. He can’t imagine anyone is doing a particularly good job. He’s sure Betty’s checking her phone constantly, and Veronica’s talking as fast and as much as she can. 

Archie himself will have to be on set the day after tomorrow, there’s no wiggle room in the contract for that. He can barely imagine the day after tomorrow. Today has felt like years. Yesterday he’d been so filled with joy that it had been impossible to think of anything else. Today it felt like yesterday was a fantasy. 

Archie goes out to the nurses station to see if there are any updates, and that’s when he sees Emma being wheeled towards him on a gurney. 

She doesn’t look like his wife, like the women who walked down the aisle just yesterday. She looks like she couldn’t walk at all. Her eyes are closed. She’s still unconscious. The nurse informs him that the doctor will give a full update once Emma’s woken up. She tells Archie to get her as soon as that happens. 

Waiting with Emma in the room is different. He knows she’s at the very least survived the surgery, and that helps, but just having her there, even in the state she’s in, helps him calm down.

She wakes up while he’s texting Jughead. Her eyes open slowly and she says “I dreamed we got married yesterday.” 

He wants to cry. “That really happened.”

“Was there a unicorn there?” 

Archie laughs ”That’s the drugs talking.” 

He can tell she’s still groggy. Her eyes are cloudy a bit from the drugs, but she’s awake and she’s his. He calls the nurse and soon the doctors there. It’s good news, at least as good as it gets. She still has cancer. Her chances are still slim, but she’s got a shot. Archie’s grip around Emma’s hand tightens as if somehow he can pull her through all of this with his love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: I updated the tags. But I just want to say that it won’t happen for a while. Also lots of good bughead-ey things are going to happen before and after.


	8. Chapter 8

Dr. Gray has Emma’s estimated recovery time at six weeks. They’re currently on week three and Emma has cabin fever. She hates being alone all day, there’s not nearly enough compelling trash tv to fill here time. 

She’s used to having a plate full of work and family obligations. It has been that way for years now, she likes it that way. Now she feels groggy, sick, and restless. The days pass like molasses. 

Although today for the first time post-surgery she feels ok. Not go for a run ok, but sit up on the sofa ok. 

Everyone’s home from work. Betty’s over and she and Clair are dancing to Shake it Off. Emma’s heart fills with joy. Clair tries to cajole Archie into dancing with them too, but he keeps shaking his head. Emma covers his lap with her legs, effectively trapping him. 

“I’m glad no one’s bugging me about dancing this time.” Emma says with a smile. 

“Soon you won’t have any excuses.” Clair says, sticking out her tongue. Emma longs for that kind of optimism. Chemo starts in two months and they’ll know more then. But they’ve told Clair all of this and if Clair is choosing to be an optimist that’s ok.

Betty stops dancing and goes over to where Jughead is attempting to make dinner. Emma notices how gently Betty presses a kiss against the back of his shoulders before taking over the chopping of carrots. Emma is so grateful for Betty. She thinks her presence is really helping Jughead and Clair. Hell, it’s helping Emma. 

Betty told Emma yesterday that she wasn’t sure if she was handling this all well, Emma actually laughed, before realizing that it was a serious question. She then spent a lot of time reassuring Betty about how great she has been. Someone did a number on Betty when she was growing up, filling her with self-doubt, but it in no way changed Betty from being someone who was fundamentally good. 

***

Jughead picks up his office phone. Thanks to caller ID he’s been able to delay this call by almost two weeks, but he couldn’t put it off any longer. “Hi, Marty.”

“Jughead. I didn’t think you were going to answer.” Marty said on the other side of the line. Marty was the executive at WB that signed the three show deal with Emma and Jughead. They had informed him right away of Emma’s health problems. Marty had seemed supportive. Neither Jughead or Emma were naïve enough to believe that he truly was though.

Marty was savvy enough to send flowers post-surgery, and not call for two weeks after the surgery. But now clearly he was ready to talk.

“I know we have to talk about the contract. I’ve just been going through a lot.”

“I know, I know! How’s Emma doing?” Jughead could hear genuine concern in his voice. He was not sure if that concern was about Emma or about the contract, but it was genuine.

“She’s recovering. She hasn’t left the house yet, but she’s working up to it. She’s working from home now. The doctor says that in two more weeks she should have mostly recovered, and a month after that she’ll start chemo.”

“Do you think you can give us two new shows before chemo starts?” Marty asks casually. As if he had forgotten to pick up milk from the store and wanted Jughead to do it.

“What are you talking about?”

“You two promised us two more shows – not solo projects, team efforts. Jones and McRae collaborations.”

“I realize that. But one, if Emma dies….” Jughead exhales. He is unable to finish that sentence so he starts a new one. “Look, I can complete the contract either way. There is a clause in there about that, I had my lawyer check. But she could live with this for years, she can survive it forever theoretically.” 

“Both true. But I’m going to be frank with you. We’re getting antsy over here. We want to make sure that those two shows happen for Emma’s sake, for her legacy.” Sure, sure, Jughead thinks. He’s well aware that cash is the bottom line of everything. 

“I get that. But I can’t just make two shows happen overnight.”

“True, but we want to sweeten the pot, to help this happen.” Marty says.

“Oh?”

“What do you and Emma need in order to make this happen before Chemo starts? A private island retreat? More money? Ask and within reason it is yours. We know a break in filming Swift River is coming up. The timing works.”

Jughead has to admit that this extra incentive does help. He just doesn’t know if Emma’s up to it. He feels nervous to even ask if she is. If she knew about this deal she would agree to it for his sake, when she should be prioritizing her own recovery.

“I will check with Emma.” Jughead says. 

“That’s all I ask.” Marty replies before hanging up. Jughead puts the phone back in the cradle and looks around his office. With Emma out sick he’s spent a lot more time here lately. It’s actually starting to reflect him a little. 

Betty’s helped with that. She went and got a number of his favorite posters framed, so instead of blank walls he had Hitchcock and Tarantino posters hanging around him. He also bought a comfy couch for himself, and it made the whole office seem less work like, more like him. 

Betty knocked and entered in the same second. Her hair was up in a ponytail, as was her general preference, but she was still dressed for filming in her character’s costume, a torn pair of overalls. 

“You look beautiful.” Jughead says, smiling up at her.

She shakes her head skeptically “In these old things?”

“I will have you know, they’re not actually old, just very deliberately distressed.” 

Betty kisses him then, gently, before pulling away to meet his eyes. “How’s Emma today?”

“She walked around the block this morning.” Jughead replies “So she’s making progress. Are you up for going on a date tonight?”

“You’ve spent all week with me.” Betty says, sitting down in lap. It felt so good to have her there. It was true that they had spent all week together. She had spent more days living at his place than hers since Emma’s operation. 

“Yes, but I’ve also spent all week with Emma and Archie and Clair. You think since Archie bought the house next door he would actually in it.” Jughead says, shaking his head. 

“I think he plans to as soon as you let Emma move in to it.” Betty says with a wry smile. 

“Once she’s a little better. Maybe next week.” Jughead says.

“That’s what you said last week.” Betty says with a smile and a knowing nod. 

“We got off topic here. I want to spend tonight with just you. A nice dinner, a movie maybe, or a walk. I’m not fussy.” 

“Neither am I, so that sound nice.” Betty snuggles her head against his chest. “What time is it?”

“Right now? 4:10. We could leave in an hour. Go to Santa Monica and go for a stroll then pick up dinner at Lowes?”

Two hours later, thanks to some terrible traffic, that’s where they are, strolling down the boardwalk. Jughead feels for the first time in a while like he’s got his life back, like he’s in control of everything (even though that is in no case true, if he had control of anything important at all Emma would not have cancer). 

Betty’s hand is in his, and there’s a slight breeze, but it’s pleasant. The sun is just setting, and everything around them glows as if it’s been blessed. 

“My sister used to call this the magic hour.” Betty murmurs.

“I get that.” Jughead says. “I’m so glad it’s just the two of us here, right now, walking.”

“Me too.” Betty says with a smile. “I’ve never felt as safe with anyone as I do with you. It kind of shocks me sometimes. I’ll think I should try to impress you, but then I’m too busy feeling safe and happy to do anything about that.”

Jughead laughs. “That’s because you already impress me.”

Betty stops walking and turns towards him in the evening light. “How could you say that? I’ve had a panic attack in front of you.”

“I basically stopped talking to one of my best friends for a whole week because I was a giant dumbass and you are still dating me.”

“That is true.” Betty, says smiling.

“But the point is you impress me in all sorts of ways. The way you are with Clair for example, you’re so good and she loves you already. You impress me with your acting. You impress the hell out of me by the way that your handling Emma being sick and me being around less than I want to be.”

A smile blooms on Betty’s face as Jughead says these things. He knows Betty lives with a level of doubt about herself that he will never understand, but he wants to do everything he can to combat it.

***

Jughead wakes up to an angry knock on his bedroom door. Betty’s in his arms, but somehow she manages to sleep through it. He carefully disentangles himself and goes over to the door and opens it

Outside Emma’s standing in her robe. He closes the door gently behind him before asking “What is it?” 

She shakes her cell phone at it. Did Dr. Gray call? Was it bad news? Then finally Emma spoke. “Marty called me.”

“That fucker.” Jughead says. “I meant to tell you he called.”

“You’ve been talking for a week.”

“I’ve been stalling.”

“You’ve been keeping secrets.”

“It’s less like I’ve been keeping secrets and more like I haven’t told you something.” Emma raises a critical eyebrow at his words. He shakes his head “Fine, fine, it’s the same thing, and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to put pressure on you.”

“I get that, but still it’s no excuse for keeping me in the dark.” Emma says.

“Agreed. So what did he say?”

“That he wants to do whatever he can to help me and you create two more shows.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“Nothing, I wanted to talk to you first. Like a real partner.” Emma says, but even though the words sound cutting, the way she delivers them is soft. She’s forgiven him already, even if she’s not going to say so using words.

“I mean it would to create something new with you, at least try to come up with an idea and make an outline for one show, but we have so much on our plates.” Jughead says with a shrug, now that Emma’s mostly stepped down from the day to day show running, he’s busier. And Emma’s time is largely occupied by healing and eventually more treatment. 

“Let’s clear them. Let’s take three weeks of vacation in Hawaii and write and plan and swim and walk. We can bring Clair, just pull her from school, and we can go over the break in the filming so Betty and Archie can come.”

“How will we get there? I’m pretty sure Dr. Gray placed airplanes and airports on his stay clear of list”

“Marty will arrange a private plane. I’m sure he will. We can rent a house too. Hire a cook. Bill the studio for all of it.”

“We could afford it.” Jughead says. They have money. Neither of them is particularly good at spending it. Years of not having that has drilled that into them. You can take the kids out of the trailer park, but you can’t completely take the trailer park out of the kids.

“Sure. But we don’t have to.” Emma has such a brilliant grin on her face.

“Ok. I can call Marty about it.” Jughead says. He’s starting to look forward to it. Three weeks on a beach with everyone he loves creating something new. If he doesn’t focus on the why, on the cloud looming over all of them, he might actually be able to enjoy it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you can guess where the next chapter is going to be located. Always grateful for comments.


	9. Chapter Nine

Betty’s lying next to the pool under an umbrella. For contractual reasons she can’t get too tan, so she’s been layering on the SPF, wearing hats with the widest brims, and been spending a lot of time shade reading. 

She’d expected herself to get a little stir crazy, and want to hike more. The island they’ve ended up on, Kauai is known for its hiking. She had done weeks of researching which trails were the best. But so far they’ve been there two weeks and it’s been hard to step away from their little part of paradise. 

They’d done one hike in Weimea Canyon, but outside of that they’d hardly left the property, except to go to the local beach.

Part of that is that Jughead and Emma are here to work. They’ve made some progress on their first idea, a sort of modern day Little Red Riding Hood, with Red being a reluctant vigilante, but they hadn’t any ideas at all for the second show outline and were both getting a little stressed. 

It was not uncommon for Jughead or Emma to shout a one to two word idea such as “unicorns” or “water world” at the other across the table while eating. The rest of the table would weigh in on that idea and then it would be dismissed.

The house they’ve rented (or rather the house the studio has rented) is beautiful, and enormous. Over half the rooms are empty and that is with the chef and a housekeeper staying with them. They are not far from the beach, which is public, but far enough back to feel private. 

The pool, is long, with a perfect view of palms and the ocean. Clair has spent most of her time in the pool. She’s in there right now. Diving down to retrieve rings Betty has thrown. Clair re-surfaces holding a pink ring.

“I think this is the last one Betty!” Clair shouts.

Betty looks at the bottom of the pool sees a green ring in the far corner. “Nope, there’s still one more". Clair turns around to look for it as Jughead strolls out from the house with a smile on his face and swim trunks on and cannonballs straight into the pool. Clair screams with shock.

“Dad! Don’t do that!” She protests as he resurfaces. “You scared me.” 

“Did I now?” Jughead asks and a look of nervousness crosses Clair’s face as she nods, then she pushes both arms out quickly to splash him right across the face. 

Jughead laughs as she swims away to the other end of the pool and quickly climbs out, sticking her tongue out in jest, the ring at the bottom of the pool forgotten. 

Clair grabs her mermaid towel and heads into the house as Jughead swims a few laps. Betty watches him, too lazy to get up right away. It’s so pleasant in her lounger in the shade.

“Betty, are you coming in?” He asks directly standing in the middle of the pool. She takes off her cover up and dives in beside him. 

This trip has been good for him. The stress of Emma being sick and running Swift River solo was not forgotten, but it was a whole lot less pressing. It has helped that Emma was doing a lot better. She and Archie managed to walk for almost a mile together most days. 

When Betty resurfaces, she can’t see Jughead, so she looks down and she spots him just as his hand fits around her ankle. He just gives one solid tug and she’s submerged again. When she comes to the surface spluttering, he’s smiling at her, his hair in his eyes. 

“I love you.” She says, surprising herself. 

“I love you too.” He says. “I just can’t believe I let you beat me to the punch.”

“What punch?” Betty says, a little confused.

“The I love you, punch.” He presses his lips against hers and he tastes a little bit like chlorine, and salt, and sunscreen, but also like himself.

“I don’t know if you can really call it a punch.” Betty says after he pulls away. 

“When I said it to you, right now, it felt like I was saying it for the very first time. I’ve never said it to anyone else and had it feel this way.”

“What way?” 

“As if I was giving you all of my heart.” 

Betty feels her whole body flush. If she heard that line in a script she would have dismissed it as cheesy, but it doesn’t feel that way at all with her hand pressed against his chest in a pool, his arms looped around her back. 

Part of why it feels so different, is because she knows him. She knows that he doesn’t even say I love you to his father. While he throws it around casually with Clair and Emma she’s only heard him say it to Archie once. If he’s mostly reluctant to say it to family and close friends, she knows how much it means to say it to a lover. 

“I love you with all my heart.” She says and she presses her lips against his cheeks and then his chin and then his mouth. 

“Please stop!” Clair shrieks from the side of the pool “My eyes! My eyes.” 

Jughead sends a lazy splash in her general direction, then as he passes Betty to swim over to Clair he whispers “I love you with all of mine” in her ear. 

 

* * *

Emma was laying in the hammock her head pressed against Archie’s chest. She’s content in her body. The medication she’s on is helping her handle her pain. But her mind is restless. She is so happy with the red riding hood show idea, but nothing else they’ve come up with has stuck. 

The studio hadn’t sent them here to create one show, but two, and she hated the idea of coming up short. It felt like failure. Like somehow they would still be in debt to the studio for all this luxury. 

They still have a week left, but that didn’t feel like enough time. She wishes it did. The first idea came to them so easily but this second idea was like hunting for a needle in a haystack. 

“What are you worrying about?” Archie asks quietly, Betty and Clair have fallen asleep together on a lounge chair nearby and they don’t want to wake them.

“The show. I do feel really happy about the red riding hood remake it’s everything I wanted to watch as a teenager, but when I try to think of a second show I keep drawing a blank.”

“When I was growing up I always wanted to watch a really good show about animals.”

“Jughead and I are not writing that. Kill me now.” Emma then realized what she said, because Archie took a ragged breath beneath her cheek “Sorry, poor choice of words.”

“And you call yourself a writer. You have no excuse to put your foot in your mouth.” Archie says, exhaling the tension out. “What would you want to write about?”

“If I knew that, I would be writing it, not snuggling you.”

Archie laughs and Betty and Clair stir in their sleep.

“You know how you went through that phase where you only wanted to watch movies about bank robbers and get away drivers?”

“Yes.” Emma refrains from pointing out that that period was partially motivated by the good looking actors that tend to populate those movies. Clive Owen, Jason Statham, etc. 

“What about something along those lines? As a tv series.”

“Maybe, there would have to be some other angle. Something that set this gang of bank robbers apart.” Emma says getting up. This idea might actually be worth pursuing.

“Wait, where are you going?” Archie says, reaching out for her hand.

“I’ve got to go find Jug. This is a good idea, and I want to pursue it. So thank you.” Emma hauls herself out of the hammock and then turns around to kiss Archie. “I love you.”

“I love you and I’m regretting giving you this good idea, because now I am without a snuggle.”

“Poor Archie.” Emma says throwing a wink his way as she walks towards the house. 

 

* * *

 

Betty watches as Archie and Clair put together a puzzle of the solar system. They’ve been working on it for hours now. Betty’s just finishing putting away the dishes. The professional chef had offered, but Betty finds something almost meditative about cleaning, so she’d encouraged the chef to leave early. 

Most evenings Jughead and Emma have played board games with Archie, Clair, and Betty, but now that they only have three days left, they’ve holed up in the room they’ve taken over for an office and have been busy putting together an outline for season four of their still untitled bank robbery tv show. 

When Betty teased Jughead that there was a good chance the show would never make it to season four (after all most shows didn’t), he laughed. “It’s just how Emma and I work.” He says. “It’s not like the studio cares, I just find it comforting. It’s served us well for Swift River.”

Archie glances at the time. “It’s bedtime, Clair. Do you want me or Betty to put you down?”

“You, please.” 

“Of course.” Archie says as Clair stands up. “I will be up in five minutes.” With that Clair heads upstairs. 

“I will miss this.” Betty says to Archie

“Not as much as I will. It’s been good to spend this much time around Clair.”

“You live next door, you’ll be over all the time, even once we get back. Plus Emma mentioned setting up a room for Clair in your house.”

“That’s the plan.” Archie says, but there’s an expression on his face Betty can’t read exactly, but she knows he’s worried about something. 

Betty puts the sponge she’s been cleaning the counter with, down and walks over to him. “What’s bothering you?”

“If Emma dies, do you think Jughead will still allow Clair to be in my life?” Betty felt a string in her heart break. Of course he would worry about that. Betty worried about not seeing Clair if she and Jug broke up, and she had been in Clair’s life for a much more limited period. 

“Don’t worry. Clair will make sure you will be a part of it no matter what. She loves you so much.” Betty says warmly. She knows she must reveal something of her own doubt in this comment because Archie smiles at her reassuringly.

“You remember that too.” He says, with a smile. 

“I will.” Betty says, as Archie stands up and heads off to Clair’s bedroom. But she can’t shake the feeling that she could lose Clair entirely. She feels bad about it, because Archie has this concern after knowing Clair for well over half her life and Betty’s fear comes after knowing her for less than six months. 

But still when she tries to focus on cleaning, on scrubbing down the counters till they shine, she finds a tear escaping from the corner of her eye. This is of course when Jughead enters.

“Betty, are you ok?” He says as she wipes the tear away.

“I just love Clair so much.” Betty says as jughead takes her two hands. 

“That’s good. That’s great in fact.”

“Why?” Betty asks. After all she thinks it would be a challenge not to love Clair. She’s sweet, nd funny, and well behaved. 

“Her own mother didn’t love her, not really and I think she always worried that if I found someone else they would feel the same way her mother did about her.”

“As if you would let that happen!” Betty says, offering a tentative smile.

“I know! But she knows you love her, and she loves you, and I am incredibly lucky.” Jughead says, kissing her. It is that action combined with those words that help Betty fall asleep that night feeling both content and dare she say, optimistic about the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grateful for feedback! Only one chapter more to go.


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say an enormous thank you to KittiLee and Dsvridiculousfangirl for your consistently thoughtful and engaging comments (in this story and others).

**Two Years Later**

**The A.V. Club: Jughead Jones on _Little Red_ , Emma McRae and What is Next.**

This is our seventh interview with Jughead Jones and our first without his longtime creative partner Emma McRae who passed away last Monday. 

Jones and McRae’s third collaborative effort, _Little Red_ , just started airing three weeks ago. The much anticipated show focuses on the secret life of little red riding hood. Jones and McRae’s show Swift River is now entering its sixth and final season on the same network.

This interview with Jones will focus on the newly launched _Little Red_ , the ongoing adventures of Swift River, and also what life looks like without his long time creative partner in it. 

**The A.V. Club:** Did Emma McRae get to see _Little Red_ air before she passed?

 **Jones** : Yes, we got to watch the first two episodes air together. We got to see the fan reactions, and see people engage with the show. The reception so far has been really enthusiastic and positive. When we first wrote the proposal for _Little Red_ , Emma’s prognosis was so uncertain. No one thought she would make it long enough to see it air, particularly since it took us two years to turn it from a concept into a reality. But being able to cast the show with her by my side made all the difference. We really feel like we found the perfect lead actress in Josie McCoy.

 **The A.V. Club:** There are rumors that you and McCrae created another show before she passed away, and that that show will start shooting in the new year.

 **Jones** : Understandably, the WB wanted to get the most out of our contract. Those rumors are true. I’m not going to talk about the title yet, because the studio and I are having a little disagreement over it, but it’s going to be about bank robbers. 

**The A.V. Club:** Do you think you will continue to create shows without McCrae?

 **Jones:** Look, you’re asking this question right after Emma’s death. I can sit here and try to talk about Emma like she was just my writing partner, but you know she was a hell of a lot more than that. It’s been a week. Let me grieve, then figure my shit out. 

This is a huge loss for me, and also for my daughter who was raised in part by Emma, for my longtime friend Archie, for my wife Betty. Our lives are all tangled up together, and this frankly is not something I can talk about yet. I am not going to answer any more questions about Emma. 

 

**Four Years Later**

Jughead usually lets himself into Archie’s house but today he is actually knocking like a normal visitor. No one answers at first, it’s early on a Saturday, so there is no chance that Archie isn’t home, but there is a chance that he is still asleep. 

Finally the door swings open and Archie opens it, orange hair sticking every which way, chest bare, and a pair of Christmas PJ pants on. It’s July and Jughead would love to pass judgement about the pants, but he happens to know they were Emma’s favorite, so it is both sweet and a little sad that Archie is wearing them. 

“Is Betty ok?” Archie asks an alarmed look on his face. The fact that Betty’s pregnant and Jughead never shows up this early if not for emergency reasons, prompted this question.

“She’s good. Sorry to bother you so early, we just had a pressing question.”

“Ok, come in. I have coffee. Want some?”

“When have I turned down coffee?” Jughead says, following Archie into the house. Clair spends so much time here that if you didn’t know better you would assume Archie had a tween daughter. There’s pink headphones on the sofa, and a sticker covered laptop near the bookshelf, purple shoes are abandoned in the center of the room.

“Never. But you’ve never shown up at my door at 8 on a Saturday for non-crisis reasons.”

“Good point.” It’s not like Jughead’s question couldn’t have waited a few hours or even a few weeks. But he did really want to ask it and the sooner he got it out of his system the less nervous he would be. 

Archie pours Jughead a cup of coffee into a yellow gnome mug and hands it to Jughead. Jughead takes a fortifying sip. The coffee is good and strong, like Archie always makes it. 

“We found out the babies sex last night. We’re going to have a girl!” Jughead says. 

Archie’s face is covered in a smile and he gives Jughead a huge hug. “Is that why your over so early, to ask me if I can be the godfather?”

“No, I mean we just assumed you would be.” Jughead says. “You will be right?”

“Of course!” 

“No, we wanted to ask you if you would mind if we named the baby Emma?“

Archie jaw goes slack and he leans up against the wall. Jughead doesn’t know how to interpret that. Is it a no? A yes? 

After a few minutes Archie seems to regain his composure and he makes eye contact with Jug again. 

“No, I mean I don’t think she would want that. She was pretty clear to me that that she wanted all of us to move on as much as possible.”

“You haven’t dated anyone since she passed.” Jughead says. It’s funny that when he first found out about Emma and Archie his biggest worry was Archie’s fidelity and now 3 years after his death Jughead wishes Archie would date someone (anyone) again, and yet he turns everyone down without a second thought. Jughead has seen him do it, once to three different girls in one evening.

Jughead wants Archie to be happy again with someone else. Emma made it clear that that is what she wanted for her husband. Archie clearly has other ideas. 

“I said as much as possible.” Archie comments with a smile. “It’s not like you have a new writing partner.”

“Touché” Jughead says swallowing his coffee. He writes with other people of course, he’s a script writer, he has to. But he’s always swapping out who, never getting too committed. Betty teases him about it often. He hasn’t even thought about creating a new series from scratch without Emma by his side.

“I do know a way you could honor Emma with your daughter’s name though.” Archie says tentatively. 

“Really?” 

“Before the cancer diagnosis, Emma and I talked a lot about having a child. We even came up with names, for this hypothetical future child. If it was a boy it would be named Peter, if it was a girl it would be Lyra”

“Like in The Golden Compass?” Jughead asks.

“Yes.”

“It’s a pretty name.” Jugead says, shaking his head. He’s going to have to run this by Betty. He honestly thought Archie was going to say yes to calling the baby Emma, but in a way this makes sense. This was the name she wanted to continue on in the world, not her own. 

“You don’t have to. I just think it makes more sense than the other.”

“It does.” Jughead says, nodding his head. “It does.”

 

**Eight Years Later**

Clair looks out into the crowd. The school gymnasium they’ve rented has about a hundred people in it. Ten of the occupants are the recipients of the first ever McCrae scholarship. The rest are their families and Clair’s. 

Betty is in the front row, looking not like the the movie star she’s become, and more like the mom that she is. Peter is resting on one hip and Lyra is leaning against her legs. Jughead has Betty’s hands in his and is talking to Archie.

Most of the other families are gawking at hers. She gets it, they’re the famous one. Betty is starring in the female reboot of the Mission Impossible franchise and Archie is lead on yet another one of her dads’ shows. 

Still for all of her families success she sees them for who they really are. Her loved ones. Her wonderful creative dad and her smart and caring step-mom. Her uncle Archie who is more than an uncle. They are all looking at her right now. It is her speech that is going to launch this event after all. 

Clair feels nervous. Public speaking is not really her thing, but she wants to make Emma proud. Lyra and Peter never met Emma but Clair was ten when she passed. She might not be able to remember all the little details about her, but she remembers the broad strokes, and those memories are so positive, so full of love. 

Sometimes when her dad fills in the details of the memory, like when he tells her that Emma had a backyard wedding because Clair insisted, she cries. 

She’s never going to be able to meet Emma as an adult, Emma will never see what she has grown up to be, but she wants to do something for Emma. That is it turns out, starting the McCrae Foundation. The McCrae Foundation provides full funding (room, board, food, even a little extra) for first generation college students from single parent low income families. 

They will be able to provide ten a year for the indefinite future. One of the things Clair is most proud of, in terms of the McCrae foundation is that all of the students will be getting a support team to help them stay in school. 

The astounding thing about first generation low income college students is that over half of them never make it through a year of college, even if it’s fully funded. But studies have shown some insight into why that happens and Clair is hoping to prevent it. 

Finally Clair realizes she has to start talking. She’s up at the podium, everyone is looking at her and it’s already two minutes after the agreed upon start time. Clair clears her throat, and then starts.

“I am so proud that ten of you have earned the first McCrae foundation scholarships. All of you earned these scholarships through intelligence, hard work, and determination. I personally can’t wait till this speech is over so I can get to know you all at least a little bit.” There is a smattering of laughter. 

“The person who left behind the money for this foundation, was not biologically my mother, but she was in every way my parent, from the day I was born through till the day she passed away. She gave me my first haircut and handmade my first Halloween costume.” Clair paused to look out at the crowd.

“The strange thing about being part of a non-traditional family is that it is really hard to explain to people outside your family unit who exactly you lost. Biologically Emma was not even my aunt, she was my father’s best friend. But she was so much more, and as grateful as I am for my step-mother, Betty, Emma was really my first mother, the only mother I had between the ages of four and eight.”

Clair could see Jughead start to get teary in the first row, Archie’s face was covered by his hands. 

“I started this foundation with the money she gave me, and I put it towards scholarships for single parent kids from low income families because that is who she cared about, that is who she was once.” Clair pauses and takes a deep breath.

“I’m going to let us all get to the talking and food portion of this event in a moment now but before that I really want to show you a video I made, to show you a little bit of who Emma McCrae really was.”

Clair clicks the projector on using the remote she has in the palm of her hand. “Before I start this, I just want to say that there’s no real video footage of Emma’s early life because of where and how she grew up. The first video footage in here is from my dad’s really shitty first phone, so I apologize for the quality.” and with that she hit play.

The first few images were stills. Emma on the porch of the trailer. Emma eating Mac and Cheese. Emma and Jughead reading on a sofa. Then the video starts. Clair didn’t want a song playing. She wanted everyone in the audience to hear Emma’s voice to see her how she was. 

The first video clip is of Junior High, Jughead and she are acting out a play Emma wrote. The second clip is of Emma racing a neighbor. The third is of them swimming in a pond. All three early clips are shot on Jughead’s first smart phone so the quality is grainy, but Emma’s energy comes across, her kindness and her toughness, her wrists visible in too short jean jackets.

The end of high school clips start, and the quality of the footage goes way up. There’s Jughead and Emma directing a school play, there’s Emma writing and telling Jughead to go away, and then Emma is college and her clothes start to fit and it’s clear that she’s getting the occasional haircut from a professional. 

“What do you want to do after this?” Jughead asks on screen. 

“After pizza?” Emma jokes back and the audience laughs.

“No, after school.”

“I want to keep doing what we’re doing and get paid for it.”

“For how long?”

“For as long as we can, you idiot.” Emma rolls her eyes when she says it onscreen and off there is a lot of laugher. Clair herself is on the verge of tears, but she’s hoping the kids in the audience, watching this, are seeing themselves in her, are seeing this transformation takes place. 

And onscreen the transformations continue to take place. There is footage of Jughead and Emma at award ceremonies and interviews, but Clair’s not really paying attention. She knows she can’t get through this next part without crying. 

Onscreen Emma is holding Clair for the first time, and she’s tiny in Emma’s arms. “Who are you holding?” Jughead says offscreen teasingly.

Emma looks up and says directly into the camera lens “The most precious thing in the whole wide world.”

 

**Ten Years Later**

 

Jughead is all nerves. This is the night that _Sunnyside_ airs for the first time. They’ve already had screeners, more than he can count at this point. The critical response has been enthusiastic. After the critical hit he took for _Heist!_ (his most popular show yet – he has to say), it’s nice to have the critics back in his corner.

But he really wants the audience to support this one. It’s the first show he’s created without Emma and he can’t help that it’s all about her, all about growing up poor and poorly parented with a best friend and not much else. He won’t know what “the public” thinks till tonight. 

He heads out into the backyard. Twelve years ago, right after Archie and Emma first moved into the house next door, they tore down the fence between the yards, and so now the fenced in green space behind their houses is the size of a medium park.

It’s served them well over the years. Both Peter and Lyra feel comfortable just popping over to Archie’s through the back. His door is never locked to them, and his “yard” has the largest play structure. 

Jughead starts pacing in the yard, from his boundary fence to Archie’s. The show starts in less than 10 minutes. Betty’s already seen it of course, and so has Archie but Clair has come home from college to watch it with them, and they’re allowing Lyra to see the first episode. It will be the first time she has watched anything that he has created. 

He’s on his fifth lap around the yard when he hears Betty’s voice call out to him “Jug.” He turns towards her, and there she is on the porch in a blue silk dress, her hair haloing in loose waves, a nervous smile on her lips.

He can’t help himself, as much as his stomach feels like a pit of vipers about the show airing, she is more powerful than all of that. “I love you.”

“Enough to stop pacing?” Betty asks.

“Of course, but why don’t you join me?” Jughead says, extending his hand. She slides hers into his and it feels warm and right, as it always does. He can hear the small noise their rings make when they clink. 

They walk in loops around the yard together. It’s not too hot and there is a pleasant enough breeze. On their third loop when they pass by the gazebo, Betty says “That’s where Emma first told me she wanted us to date.”

Jughead’s heard the story many times before, and he has thought of it often. It always makes him feel grateful. 

“That might have been her true calling, being a matchmaker.” Jughead says with a wink. 

“Don’t even joke.” Betty says, although she stops and pulls him in for a kiss. 

“She had a 100% success rate after all.” Jughead says. 

“Slow pokes, it’s about to start.” Archie yells. Jughead turns and sees Archie on the back porch with Peter on his shoulders and Lyra standing beside him, and Clair besides her, and he feels his heart fill with joy. This show wasn’t his legacy or Emma’s, that porch full of people was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the most emotional chapter i've ever written. I would be very grateful for comments.


End file.
